Health measurements

Wearable biosensors

Follow heart rate, activity and sleep in everyday life, alongside environmental exposure.

Used in CHEERS and connected cohort studies

Generic wearable measurement schematic: heart rate, physical activity and sleep — Generic wearable measurement schematic · device selection and interpretation depend on the study protocol.

Measurements & outputs

Measurements and outputs

Heart-rate time series measured with optical sensors (PPG).
Movement and step estimates from accelerometry.
Device-derived sleep estimates and longitudinal individual baselines.

Research workflow

Prepare and configure devices for the study protocol, train participants and establish synchronization routines.

Align timestamps with weather and household observations, then assess wear time, missingness and measurement quality.

Interpretation & current limits

Interpretation and limitations

Consumer devices provide estimates with device-specific algorithms. Sleep stages and derived indicators require cautious interpretation.
Performance differs across activities and environments. Research validation and local feasibility assessment remain essential.

Documented applications & research context

Applications and research context

Links identify relevant studies and settings. Configuration and implementation stage differ between projects.

Projects

Population cohorts / CP1CHIMES & CHIMES 2.0Weather, heat & HIVHeat & respiratory healthCHIMES (CVD)

Research settings

NounaSiayaSEACO / Segamat

Publications & evidence

Related publications

Read the study-specific methods, results and limitations. The framework paper describes the wider approach.

2023Methods / scientific contextMethods

Widening the lens of population-based health research to climate change impacts and adaptation: the climate change and health evaluation and response system (CHEERS) ↗

Barteit et al. · Frontiers in Public Health

Introduces the modular CHEERS framework linking population surveillance, environmental measurements and individual health data.

Methods, findings & limitations ↗

2021Related research evidenceStudy protocol

Feasibility, acceptability and validation of wearable devices for climate change and health research in the low-resource contexts of Burkina Faso and Kenya: Study protocol ↗

Barteit et al. · PLOS ONE

Describes the joint protocol for wearable feasibility, acceptability and validation in Burkina Faso and Kenya.

Methods, findings & limitations ↗

2022Related research evidenceFeasibility study

Using wearable devices to generate real-world, individual-level data in rural, low-resource contexts in Burkina Faso, Africa: A case study ↗

Huhn et al. · Frontiers in Public Health

Tests acceptability and data collection with consumer wearables in rural Burkina Faso and identifies practical limitations.

Methods, findings & limitations ↗

2025Related research evidenceValidation

Laboratory comparison of consumer-grade and research-established wearables for monitoring heart rate, body temperature, and physical acitivity in sub-Saharan Africa ↗

Mendt et al. · Frontiers in Physiology

Compares consumer-grade and established research devices under standardized conditions for field research in Africa.

Methods, findings & limitations ↗

Explore the full publication library ↗

Methods in exchange

Related workshops

Preparing the Vadu CHEERS pilotConnecting CHEERS-SEAExpanding the HDSS approach

Source & scope

Sources and scientific context

Content and images draw on Sandra Barteit’s Freiburg lecture, The Impact of Climate Change on Human Health: Lessons from Low- and Middle-Income Countries, slides 31, 34, 35, 36. Publication pages provide the corresponding research evidence. Reviewed 12 November 2026.

Images extracted from the lecture retain the original device or research illustration. Product images identify examples used in the source material.

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