Fight fire with fire?Promoting physical activity and health through active video games

Physical inactivity has been identified as one of the leading causes of many chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease,type 2 diabetes,and obesity.Technology such as video games plays a complicated role in physical inactivity—much like a double-edged sword.Traditionally,video games have contributed to the epidemic of physical inactivity and have

Active video games in fully immersive virtual reality elicit moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and improve cognitive performance in sedentary college students

Background:Active video games are a new method for increasing physical activity(PA).Fully immersive virtual reality(VR)is a hardware device on which an active video game can run.Active(video games in)VR(AVR),might increase immersion,game engagement,and moderate-to-vigorous PA(MVPA),thereby yielding greater exercise-related benefits,e.g.,cognitive performance.Methods:We examined the induction of MVPA via an AVR and a sedentary VR(SVR)as well as the effects of VR play on cognitive performance,which was monitored using 2 different methods.Each of 29 sedentary college students attended three 20-min laboratory sessions(AVR,SVR,or control)in a randomized order;during the control session,they sat quietly doing nothing.A fully immersive headset was used for the 2 video game sessions.We monitored and computed participants’PA using hip-wom accelerometers(wGT3 x-bt;ActiGraph,Pensacola,FL,USA)and a heart rate band(Polar H7;Polar,Kempele,Finland).After each session,the participants completed a mnemonic similarity test(MST)to measure recognition memory.They also filled out a motion sickness questionnaire and an abbreviated game experience questionnaire.Results:The AVR session induced a significantly greater heart rate and more time spent in MVPA than did either of the other 2 sessions regardless of the PA monitoring method.AVR elicited greater game experience questionnaire-assessed sensory and imaginative immersion,challenge,and positive affect than did SVR.The mnemonic similarity test recognition score was marginally higher post-AVR session than it was post-SVR session.Conclusion:AVR elicited MVPA without a significant increase in motion sickness and induced a better game experience and better borderline cognitive performance than did SVR.

Impact of exergames on physical activity and motivation in elementary school students: A follow-up study

The present study was built upon a previous study on the new generation video game, exergame, in elementary school physical education （PE）. The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of exergames on elementary children＇s in-class physical activity （PA） intensity levels and perceived situational interest over time. The results indicated that students＇ situational interest dropped dramatically over two semesters, but their PA intensity increased over time. The results showed that boys and girls were equally active in the exergaming lessons, but boys perceived their gaming experiences more enjoyable than girls did. The findings suggest that exergames may be a possible means to enhance PA in PE. However, whether exergaming is a sustainable way to motivate children in PA is questionable.

Twelve weeks of dance exergaming in overweight and obese adolescent girls:Transfer effects on physical activity,screen time,and self-efficacy

Background: Given the low levels of physical activity(PA) among adolescent girls in the US, there is a need to identify tools to motivate increased PA. Although there is limited evidence that adolescents transfer PA from one context to another, exergames(i.e., video games that require gross motor activity) may act as a gateway to promote overall PA outside game play. The purpose of this study was to examine potential transfer effects(i.e., influences on external behaviors and psychological constructs) of a 12-week exergaming intervention on adolescent girls' PA, screen time,and self-efficacy toward PA, as well as the intrinsic motivation of exergaming.Methods: Participants were 37 girls aged 14–18 years(65% African American, 35% white) who were overweight or obese(body mass index ≥ 85 th percentile) and were recruited from the community via school, physicians, news media, and social media websites. Adolescents were randomly assigned to a 12-week group exergaming intervention(thirty-six 60 min sessions of group-based dance exergaming in a research laboratory using Kinect for Xbox360(Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA, USA)) or to a no-treatment control group. Outcome variables included objectively measured PA(total) and self-reported leisure-time PA(discretionary time only) 1 week before vs. 1 week after the intervention; selected type and intensity of PA when placed in a gym setting for 30 min("cardio free choice"); screen time; self-efficacy toward PA; and intrinsic motivation toward exergaming.Results: Attendance at the exergaming sessions was high(80%). Compared with the control group, the intervention group self-reported an increase in PA(p = 0.035) and fewer hours watching television or videos(p = 0.01) after the intervention, but there were no significant differences in sedentary, light, moderate, or vigorous PA measured by accelerometry. The intervention group significantly improved self-efficacy toward PA(p = 0.028). The intervention group highly rated intrinsic motivation toward exergaming.Conclusion: Exergaming for 12 weeks was associated with positive impacts on adolescent girls' self-reported PA, television viewing, self-efficacy,and intrinsic motivation. Future research is warranted to leverage exergames as an enjoyable, motivating, and effective PA tool.

Impact of exergaming on young children's school day energy expenditure and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity levels

Background: Although emerging research is demonstrating the potential health impact of exergaming,investigations have primarily been conducted in laboratory settings among small samples with short-term interventions.Information on the effectiveness of exergaming in underserved children's objective physical activity(PA) in population-based settings is also scarce.Moreover,most empirical studies have only included 1 type of exergame in the intervention.Therefore,this study's purpose was to investigate the long-term impact of a multigame exergaming intervention among underserved children integrated within school curricula.Specifically,this study examined the effect of exergaming on children's accelerometer-determined sedentary behavior(SB),light PA,moderate-to-vigorous PA(MVPA),and energy expenditure(EE) over 2 years as compared with regular physical education(PE) classes.Methods: A total of 261 second-and third-grade children(134 girls,127 boys; mean age 8.27 years) were recruited from 2 Texas elementary schools.Children's pre-test 3-day SB,light PA,MVPA,and EE at school were assessed in the fall of 2012.Participants were assigned to 1 of 2groups:(1) exergaming/PE group(125 min weekly of exergaming-based PA program) and (2) comparison group(125 min weekly of PE).PA(SB,light PA,and MVPA) and EE outcome variables were assessed again in 2013(post-test) and 2014(follow-up).Results: Significant time effects were observed for SB(F(1,162)=25.0,p<0.01,η~2= 0.14),light PA(F(1,162)=9.6,p<0.01,η~2= 0.06),and MVPA(F(1,162)=6.2,p=0.01,η~2= 0.04) but not for EE(F(1,162)=0.63,p>0.05,η~2= 0.004).Subsequent pairwise comparisons revealed significant increases from pre-to post-test for light PA(p<0.01),MVPA(p<0.01),and EE(p=0.02) with no changes in SB(p>0.05).Conversely,significant decreases occurred in light PA(p<0.01) from post-test to follow-up with no differences seen in MVPA(p=0.08) and EE(p=0.06) over the same time period.A significant increase was seen,however,for SB from post-test to follow-up.Conclusion: Exergaming PE can have the same positive effect on children's light PA,MVPA,and EE as regular PE.More research is necessary to discern how to promote long-term PA participation after conclusion of the intervention.