Reflecting public health interest in the potential of exergames to encourage PA , many review s of this literature have appeared.18 - 20 Some review s have been sympathetic,21,22 whereas others have been critical.23,24 A reasonably balanced assessment revealed that , in research laboratories , exergames could provide an intense workout that included moderate-to-vigorous PA  , but under less-supervised circumstances , children tended not to get much activity18 and their interest in the activity waned over 1 week or less .
Video games , the most commonly enjoyed medium by this generation of children , generates more money than Hollywood productions .
Forty percent of these studies influenced obesity or obesogenic behavior in the desired directions.12 A roundtable discussion of investigators of G4H and obesity indicated substantial potential for video games to reduce child obesity , but emphasized the need for games to be fun , not just health promoting.13 Some of the obesity-related studies used games specially design ed to target diet and /or PA change outside the games.14 - 17 " Squire 's Quest ! , "
Effects of a pediatric weight management program with and without active video games a randomized trial.
IMPORTANCE Active video games may offer an effective strategy to increase physical activity in overweight and obese children . However , the specific effects of active gaming when delivered within the context of a pediatric weight management program are unknown . OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of active video gaming on physical activity and weight loss in children participating in an evidence -based weight management program delivered in the community . DESIGN , SETTING , AND PARTICIPANTS Group-r and omized clinical trial conducted during a 16-week period in YMCAs and schools located in Massachusetts , Rhode Isl and , and Texas . Seventy-five overweight or obese children ( 41 girls [ 55 % ] , 34 whites [ 45 % ] , 20 Hispanics [ 27 % ] , and 17 blacks [ 23 % ] ) enrolled in a community-based pediatric weight management program . Mean ( SD ) age of the participants was 10.0 ( 1.7 ) years ; body mass index ( BMI ) z score , 2.15 ( 0.40 ) ; and percentage overweight from the median BMI for age and sex , 64.3 % ( 19.9 % ) . INTERVENTIONS All participants received a comprehensive family-based pediatric weight management program  ( JOIN for ME ) . Participants in the program and active gaming group received hardware consisting of a game console and motion capture device and 1 active game at their second treatment session and a second game in week 9 of the program . Participants in the program-only group were given the hardware and 2 games at the completion of the 16-week program . MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Objective ly measured daily moderate-to-vigorous and vigorous physical activity , percentage overweight , and BMI z score . RESULTS Participants in the program and active gaming group exhibited significant increases in moderate-to-vigorous ( mean [ SD ] , 7.4 [ 2.7 ] min/d ) and vigorous ( 2.8 [ 0.9 ] min/d ) physical activity at week 16 ( P < .05 ) . In the program-only group , a decline or no change was observed in the moderate-to-vigorous ( mean [ SD ] net difference , 8.0 [ 3.8 ] min/d ; P = .04 ) and vigorous ( 3.1 [ 1.3 ] min/d ; P = .02 ) physical activity . Participants in both groups exhibited significant reductions in percentage overweight and BMI z scores at week 16 . However , the program and active gaming group exhibited significantly greater reductions in percentage overweight ( mean [ SD ] , -10.9%[1.6 % ] vs -5.5%[1.5 % ] ; P = .02 ) and BMI z score ( -0.25 [ 0.03 ] vs -0.11 [ 0.03 ] ; P < .001 ) . CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Incorporating active video gaming into an evidence -based pediatric weight management program has positive effects on physical activity and relative weight . TRIAL REGISTRATION clinical trials.gov Identifier : NCT01757925
Reflecting public health interest in the potential of exergames to encourage PA , many review s of this literature have appeared.18 - 20 Some review s have been sympathetic,21,22 whereas others have been critical.23,24 A reasonably balanced assessment revealed that , in research laboratories , exergames could provide an intense workout that included moderate-to-vigorous PA  , but under less-supervised circumstances , children tended not to get much activity18 and their interest in the activity waned over 1 week or less .
Video games , the most commonly enjoyed medium by this generation of children , generates more money than Hollywood productions .
Forty percent of these studies influenced obesity or obesogenic behavior in the desired directions.12 A roundtable discussion of investigators of G4H and obesity indicated substantial potential for video games to reduce child obesity , but emphasized the need for games to be fun , not just health promoting.13 Some of the obesity-related studies used games specially design ed to target diet and /or PA change outside the games.14 - 17 " Squire 's Quest ! , "