However , effects of exergaming in terms of changes in these intensity parameters varied significantly between game modes and consoles as well as because of the vastly differing duration s of exergame activity between studies .
Conclusion This review suggests that exergames are able to increase PA among overweight individuals .
However , the inconsistent results and the overall poor or moderate method ological quality do not permit judgment on whether exergames are suitable to meet PA guidelines in this target group .
Background The majority of patients with overweight and type 2 diabetes show insufficient levels of daily physical activity ( PA ) and usually are among the least likely to engage in or adhere to any form of generic PA .
Active video games ( exergames ) may be a solution to motivate these individuals to overcome their sedentary lifestyle .
Objectives This systematic review was conducted to review the current evidence for the effectiveness of exergaming in overweight and type 2 diabetes mellitus and thus to evaluate the suitability of these games to be used as tools for exercise promotion that meet current PA guidelines .
The health benefits of interactive video game exercise.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of interactive video games ( combined with stationary cycling ) on health-related physical fitness and exercise adherence in comparison with traditional aerobic training ( stationary cycling alone ) . College-aged males were stratified ( aerobic fitness and body mass ) and then assigned r and omly to experimental ( n = 7 ) or control ( n = 7 ) conditions . Program attendance , health-related physical fitness ( including maximal aerobic power ( VO2 max ) , body composition , muscular strength , muscular power , and flexibility ) , and resting blood pressure were measured before and after training ( 60%-75 % heart rate reserve , 3 d/week for 30 min/d for 6 weeks ) . There was a significant difference in the attendance of the interactive video game and traditional training groups ( 78 % + /- 18 % vs. 48 % + /- 29 % , respectively ) . VO2 max was significantly increased after interactive video game ( 11 % + /- 5 % ) but not traditional ( 3 % + /- 6 % ) training . There was a significantly greater reduction in resting systolic blood pressure after interactive video game ( 132 + /- 6 vs. 123 + /- 6 mmHg ) than traditional ( 131 + /- 7 vs. 128 + /- 8 mmHg ) training . There were no significant changes in body composition after either training program . Attendance mediated the relationships between condition and changes in health outcomes ( including VO2 max , vertical jump , and systolic blood pressure ) . The present investigation indicates that a training program that links interactive video games to cycle exercise results in greater improvements in health-related physical fitness than that seen after traditional cycle exercise training . It appears that greater attendance , and thus a higher volume of physical activity , is the mechanism for the differences in health-related physical fitness
However , effects of exergaming in terms of changes in these intensity parameters varied significantly between game modes and consoles as well as because of the vastly differing duration s of exergame activity between studies .
Conclusion This review suggests that exergames are able to increase PA among overweight individuals .
However , the inconsistent results and the overall poor or moderate method ological quality do not permit judgment on whether exergames are suitable to meet PA guidelines in this target group .
Background The majority of patients with overweight and type 2 diabetes show insufficient levels of daily physical activity ( PA ) and usually are among the least likely to engage in or adhere to any form of generic PA .
Active video games ( exergames ) may be a solution to motivate these individuals to overcome their sedentary lifestyle .
Objectives This systematic review was conducted to review the current evidence for the effectiveness of exergaming in overweight and type 2 diabetes mellitus and thus to evaluate the suitability of these games to be used as tools for exercise promotion that meet current PA guidelines .