Create a Fitbit Account

Each participant should have a unique account, and this should be an account to which you have full access. The reasoning here is twofold: 1) to make the account as anonymised as possible (i.e., remove identifiable information such as first/last name and personal email), and 2) to make account recovery possible in case of data loss or incomplete data extraction.

1. Go to My Account (fitbit.com).

   <aside> ❓ If the webpage is stuck looping, clear browser cookies/cache or open the link in an incognito window (ctrl + shift+ n)

   </aside>

2. Create an account using a unique email, and log in with the code received.

   <aside> ❓ *This can be any email, but you must have access to this email to verify the account and log in. The recommended practice is to use Gmail variations:

   1. Create a Gmail account for the overall study (e.g., [email protected])
   2. Add a ‘+’ before the @ symbol, followed by a unique participant identifier (e.g., [email protected])
   3. Use this new email to create the Withings account (verification will be sent to the main study email, e.g., [email protected])

   More details on this feature can be found here.*

   </aside>

3. Record these details in the following format:

   id	account	password
   participant1	[email protected]	password1
   participant2	[email protected]	password2
   participant3	[email protected]	password3

Device Setup

<aside> ❗ Make sure to factory reset the device before giving it to a new participant.

</aside>

To get started:

1. Download the Fitbit app:

• Apple App Store for iPhones

• Google Play Store for Android phones

  <aside> ❓ The Fitbit app is compatible with most popular phones. See fitbit.com/devices to check if your phone is compatible.

  </aside>

1. Install the app, and open it.
   • If you have a premade account, log in to your account → tap the Today tab → your profile picture → Set Up a Device.
   • If you don't have a Fitbit account, tap Join Fitbit to be guided through a series of questions to create a Fitbit account.
     • If an account is not already created, make sure to use a researcher-owned email to ensure data can be recovered.
2. Continue to follow the on-screen instructions to connect device to your account.

For more information, see the related help article.

<aside> ❗ Once logged in and device attached, instruct participant to update height, weight, and birth year (exact DOB is not strictly necessary, and is identifiable, so preferable to leave as generic).

1. Tap the Today tab, and tap your profile picture.
2. Tap the tile with your name.
3. Tap Personal.
4. Tap the information you want to change and make your changes.
5. Tap Save. </aside>

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