Adapting sedentary videogames to facilitate physical activity for adults

Christen John Mendonca

doi:10.17918/00001379

PURPOSES: To determine whether adapting a sedentary videogame (VG) control can: 1) elicit an energy expenditure consistent with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and 2) alter the personal enjoyment, self-efficacy, and VG performance. METHODS: During each of 2 lab visits, 1 to 4 weeks apart, 30 adults (25 ± 9 yrs) played a sedentary VG in 3 randomized conditions: using a hand-held controller (Controller), moving in front of a motion sensor (Sensor), and reaching for 4 buttons with their hands and feet (Button). Test-retest reliability of oxygen consumption (VO₂), heart rate (HR), Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE), Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PACES), self-efficacy, and VG score was determined using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC₃,₂). A 2-way repeated-measures analyses of variance compared differences in metabolic equivalents (METs), %HRmax, RPE, PACES, self-efficacy, and VG score across the 2 visits and 3 conditions. Chi-square analyses were performed on METs, %HRmax, and RPE to determine whether a significant proportion of participants achieved MVPA during the Sensor and Button conditions. RESULTS: Excellent reliability was demonstrated for VO2 (ICC₃,₂ = 0.98), HR (ICC₃,₂ = 0.95), and RPE (ICC₃,₂ = 0.95). Good reliability was demonstrated for enjoyment (ICC₃,₂= 0.84), self-efficacy (ICC₃,₂ = 0.83), and VG score (ICC₃,₂ = 0.89). Participants exerted themselves least during the Controller condition (0.99 ± 0.09 METs, 39 ± 6% HRmax, 7 ± 1 RPE) compared with the Sensor (3.52 ± 0.58 METs, 59 ± 10% HRmax, 13 ± 2 RPE, p < 0.01) and Button (4.02 ± 0.61 METs, 62 ± 12% HRmax, 14 ± 2 RPE, p < 0.01) conditions. During the Sensor and Button conditions, most participants sustained 3 to 6 METs, [chi]² (1, n = 30) = 13.3 (p < 0.01). Enjoyment, self-efficacy, and VG score increased from visit 1 to 2. Enjoyment (scale 1 to 7) of the Sensor condition (5.0 ± 1.1) was lower than both the Controller (5.6 ± 0.8) and Button conditions (5.5 ± 1.0), p = 0.01. Self-efficacy differed among all 3 conditions with the highest during the Controller condition (9.09 ± 0.79) compared with the Sensor (7.26 ± 1.36) and Button conditions (6.91 ± 1.72), p < 0.01. VG scores were lower in the adapted Sensor (211 ± 127) and Button (253 ± 142) conditions, compared with the Controller (760 ± 314) condition, p < 0.01. CONCLUSION: Adapting sedentary VG control to require physical activity reliably elicits a sustained energy expenditure in adults, indicative of MVPA. Although adapting the sedentary VG to require physical activity increased the difficulty of playing the VG, as shown by the reduction in VG scores, the enjoyment and self-efficacy for the adapted conditions remained moderate to high. Key Words: Active Videogame, Exergame, Energy Expenditure, Heart Rate, Perceived Exertion Enjoyment, Self-Efficacy

Adapting sedentary videogames to facilitate physical activity for adults

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Adapting sedentary videogames to facilitate physical activity for adults

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