Help Make History

Help us develop technology to identify AFib

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October 1, 2020: The Fitbit Heart Study is now closed to new enrollment.

We have reached our target enrollment goal and want to thank everyone who has joined us in our efforts to make the world a more healthy place.

How the Heart Study Works

Participation is simple.* Wear your compatible Fitbit tracker or smartwatch, and we’ll notify you if we identify an irregular heart rhythm that indicates AFib. If you get a notification, we’ll connect you with a doctor for a consultation at no cost to discuss next steps. And very importantly, your data is confidential and will only be used for purposes of this study.

*The study is available in the U.S. only. You must be 22 years or older to participate.

Compatible Trackers & Smartwatches

These devices are compatible with the heart study: Charge 3, Charge 4, Inspire HR, Ionic, Versa, Versa 2, Versa Lite. During sign up, we’ll check to ensure you have a compatible device.

Don’t have a compatible device?

Get One Now

Get the facts about AFib.

icon/afib AFib

Atrial fibrillation, often called AFib, is the most common type of heart arrhythmia - which is when the heart beats too slowly, too fast, or in an irregular way. AFib may happen in brief episodes, or it may be a permanent condition. 1

icon/afib-8-million 8 million

Approximately eight million people in the United States were projected to be affected by AFib in 2019.3 (33.5 million worldwide)

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Women are more likely to develop AFib than men (due to the fact that Afib increases with age, and women generally live longer than men).1

icon/afib-strokes 1 7 in

AFib causes about 1 in 7 strokes.4

icon/afib-elderly 65+

As the U.S. population ages, this number is expected to rise, as adults aged 65 and older are at an increased risk of developing the condition.3

icon/afib-25-percent 25%

Because AFib can be asymptomatic, it can often go undetected, and some studies suggest that more than 25 percent of people who have the condition find out after they have a stroke.1,4

Tell your friends and family

70% of people with AFib are 65-85 years old, and many have no symptoms. If a friend, parent or loved one would be interested in this study, please pass it on.

Heart Study Advisory Committee

The Heart Study Advisory Committee is a panel of experts formed to help oversee the Fitbit Heart Study clinical trial. The expertise of the committee informs the set-up, implementation and publication of the study, and Fitbit will hold regular meetings with the committee throughout the trial.

Headshot of Steven Lubitz, MD, MPH

Steven Lubitz, MD, MPH

Dr. Steven Lubitz is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, cardiac electrophysiologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital, and Associate Member at the Broad Institute. He graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School, trained in internal medicine and cardiovascular disease at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, and cardiac electrophysiology at the Massachusetts General Hospital. He received a Master of Public Health degree from the Harvard University School of Public Health. Dr. Lubitz’ research is dedicated to discovering the causes of heart disease, identifying individuals at risk, and improving patient outcomes. A major component of his research program focuses on identifying whether screening for atrial fibrillation can prevent strokes. Dr. Lubitz enjoys working with a highly collaborative team of investigators with expertise in population, clinical, and translational research.

Headshot of Andrea Foulkes, PhD

Andrea Foulkes, PhD

Dr. Foulkes is Director of MGH Biostatistics and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Her research interests focus on precision medicine applications and methods for big data in biomedicine. Her contributions include novel statistical methods for genetics and genomics and repeatedly measured biomarker data as well as open-source educational materials using R/Jupyter. Domain areas of interest include inflammation, infectious diseases and cardiometabolic disease.

Headshot of Steven Atlas, MD, MPH

Steven Atlas, MD, MPH

Dr. Atlas is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Director of the primary care practice-based research network in the Division of General Internal Medicine Division at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he is also a practicing primary care physician. Dr. Atlas received his MD degree from Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, and Masters in Public Health from Harvard University. He completed training in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and a fellowship in general medicine at Harvard Medical School. His work focuses on how health information technology and workflow redesign can support population-based, patient centered care that improves quality and efficiency, and decreases disparities in care. His research is supported by National Institutes of Health and industry grants and includes pragmatic studies of population-based preventive cancer and cardiovascular screening in primary care networks. He also works with organizations to evaluate the efficacy and cost effectiveness of new therapies, and to improve patient and clinician access to information to support informed medical decision making.

Headshot of David McManus, MD

David McManus, MD

Dr. McManus is a clinical and research cardiac electrophysiologist at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS), where he is a Professor and Vice-Chair of Medicine. He is also a Distinguished Dr. Marcellette Williams Scholar, Chief of the University of Massachusetts Medical Center’s Section of Connected Cardiovascular Healthcare, and Director of the Anticoagulation Service. His research continues to focus on use of technology to enhance the diagnosis and treatment of older patients with arrhythmias, and he presently serves as PI or MPI on 4 National Institute of Health or National Science Foundation-funded clinical trials and studies. He also serves as a Multi-PI of the Center for Advancing Point-of-Care Technologies in Heart, Lung, Blood and Sleep Diseases, one of four NIH centers focused on point-of-care technology nationally. I have authored or coauthored over 220 scientific manuscripts. He serves on the Heart Rhythm Society’s National Research and Digital Medicine Committees and is the Founding Editor-in-Chief of the Cardiovascular Digital Health Journal.

Headshot of Daniel Singer, MD

Daniel Singer, MD

Daniel E. Singer, MD, is an internist and epidemiologist based at Massachusetts General Hospital. He is Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. His research focuses on preventing stroke in atrial fibrillation (AF). He led the design and analysis of the BAATAF trial demonstrating that warfarin markedly decreases the risk of stroke with AF and could do so with adequate safety. He represented BAATAF in the pooled AF trials consortium that established the core risk factors for stroke in AF. With colleagues at Kaiser Permanente in California, he led the ATRIA cohort studies which demonstrated that warfarin was similarly effective in real world clinical care, among numerous other findings. Dr. Singer served on the Executive Committee of the ROCKET RCT that established the efficacy and safety of rivaroxaban versus warfarin for AF, leading to the FDA approval of rivaroxaban. Dr. Singer has explored the relationship between AF burden and stroke risk, as a member of the Executive Committee of the TRENDS study and leadership of the case-crossover study demonstrating the tight temporal relationship between episodes of AF and stroke risk. Most recently, Dr. Singer has focused on screening for AF as an investigator in the MGH VITAL-AF cluster RCT. Dr. Singer has received the John Eisenberg Award from the Society for General Internal Medicine, the society’s highest research award, and the C. Miller Fisher Award from the New England Affiliate of the American Heart/American Stroke Associations for “clear and lasting contributions to neuroscience and the community at large.”

Headshot of Sherry Pagoto, PhD

Sherry Pagoto, PhD

Dr. Pagoto is a licensed clinical psychologist, professor, and social media researcher. She is currently a Professor in the Department of Allied Health Sciences at the University of Connecticut and Director of the UConn Center for mHealth and Social Media. She is also the Past-President of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, the leading organization for research at the intersection of behavioral science and health. Her research focuses on leveraging mobile technology and social in the development and delivery of behavioral interventions targeting diet, physical activity, and cancer prevention. She has developed two mobile apps for weight management and a comprehensive weight loss program that is deliverable via social media platforms. She has had federal funding for her program of research for 17 consecutive years and has published 198 papers in peer-reviewed journals. She has received several awards for her work including The Obesity Society Pioneer in mHealth/eHealth Award in 2014, Society of Behavioral Medicine Early Career/Young Investigator Award in 2006, and the Western Michigan University Psychology Department Distinguished Alumni Award in 2011. Devoted to science communication, she has contributed to the Washington Post, USA Today, US News and World Report, Chronicle of Higher Education, STAT News, Times Higher Education, MedCityNews, and Psychology Today.

1 CDC. Atrial Fibrillation Fact Sheet. Accessed March 2019. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fs_atrial_fibrillation.htm.
2 Cleveland Clinic. Know Your Risk Factors for Stroke. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/13398-know-your-risk-factors-for-stroke. Accessed August 28, 2019
3 Colilla S, Crow A, Petkun W, Singer DE, Simon T, Liu X. Estimates of Current and Future Incidence and Prevalence of Atrial Fibrillation in the U.S. Adult Population. American Journal of Cardiology. 2013;112:1142-1147
4 Freedman B, Potpara TS, Lip GY. Stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation. Lancet. 2016;388:806–817