The precision and accuracy of a portable heart rate monitor.

A device that would comfortably and accurately measure exercise heart rate during field performance could be valuable for athletes, fitness participants, and investigators in the field of exercise physiology. Such a device, a portable telemeterized microprocessor, was compared with direct EKG measurements in a laboratory setting under several conditions to assess its accuracy. Twenty-four subjects were studied at rest and during light-, moderate-, high-, and maximal-intensity endurance activities (walking, running, aerobic dancing, and Nordic Track simulated cross-country skiing. Differences between values obtained by the two measuring devices were not statistically significant, with correlation coefficient (r) values ranging from 0.998 to 0.999. The two methods proved equally reliable for measuring heart rate in a host of varied aerobic activities at varying intensities.