What is the clinical evidence from this study?

Study design: Other. Population: teacher stress (n=81). Intervention: wrist-worn fitness tracker (Fitbit Charge 4). Primary outcome: Mean standardized HR during teaching unit (p=<0.05).

What does this research mean for the field?

Wrist-worn fitness trackers effectively capture increases in teachers’ heart rate (HR) during stressful teaching situations, providing a non-invasive method to assess teacher stress. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.NOVEL_FINDING. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.SUPPORTS_CONSENSUS.

What question did this study set out to answer?

This study aims to explore the effectiveness of wrist-worn fitness trackers in assessing teachers' stress through heart rate monitoring.

January 8, 2026Frontiers in EducationOpen Access

From heartbeat to data—using wearable fitness trackers as an affordable approach to assess teachers’ stress

Q: What are the key findings of this study?

The wrist-based fitness tracker effectively captured increases in teachers’ heart rate (HR) during a stressful teaching unit, peaking while teaching and decreasing afterward.

Q: What does this research mean for the field?

Wrist-worn fitness trackers effectively capture increases in teachers’ heart rate (HR) during stressful teaching situations, providing a non-invasive method to assess teacher stress. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.NOVEL_FINDING. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.SUPPORTS_CONSENSUS.

Q: What question did this study set out to answer?

This study aims to explore the effectiveness of wrist-worn fitness trackers in assessing teachers' stress through heart rate monitoring.

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Key result

The wrist-based fitness tracker effectively captured increases in teachers’ heart rate (HR) during a stressful teaching unit, peaking while teaching and decreasing afterward.

Authors

MKMandy Klatt CLChristin Lotz PKPeer KeßlerUniversität Greifswald

Discussion

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Implication

Laboratory study demonstrates that fitness trackers effectively measure teachers' stress via heart rate changes, suggesting a practical assessment tool.

Key Points

This study aims to explore the effectiveness of wrist-worn fitness trackers in assessing teachers' stress through heart rate monitoring.
Utilized a Fitbit® fitness tracker to measure heart rate (HR) in teachers.
Conducted assessments before, during, and after a stressful micro-teaching unit.
Related HR data with teachers' retrospective self-reports on stress levels.
Fitness tracker data showed HR increased before teaching, peaked during, and decreased after the unit.
Teachers' self-reports and experience explained only a small variance in HR data.

PICO

Population

teacher stress (n=81)

Intervention / Comparator

wrist-worn fitness tracker (Fitbit Charge 4)

Primary Outcome

Mean standardized HR during teaching unit, p=<0.05

Main Result

p-value: p=<0.05

Limitations

The laboratory setting may not accurately reflect authentic classroom environments.
Sample size limited generalizability.

Cite This Study

Klatt et al. (2025) studied teacher stress (n=81). wrist-worn fitness tracker (Fitbit Charge 4) was evaluated on Mean standardized HR during teaching unit (p=<0.05). The wrist-based fitness tracker effectively captured increases in teachers’ heart rate (HR) during a stressful teaching unit, peaking while teaching and decreasing afterward.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6960877dfa51ca23bb980a07 https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1668861

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Implication

Laboratory study demonstrates that fitness trackers effectively measure teachers' stress via heart rate changes, suggesting a practical assessment tool.