Showing posts with label obesity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label obesity. Show all posts

Sunday, 18 December 2011

The energy expenditure of an activity-promoting video game compared to sedentary video games and TV watching

Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism. Volume 24, Issue 9-10, Pages 689–695
Naim Mitre, Randal C. Foster, Lorraine Lanningham-Foster & James A. Levine

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Abstract

Background: In the present study we investigated the effect of television watching and the use of activity-promoting video games on energy expenditure in obese and lean children.

Methods: Energy expenditure and physical activity were measured while participants were watching television, playing a video game on a traditional sedentary video game console, and while playing the same video game on an activity-promoting video game console.

Results: Energy expenditure was significantly greater than television watching and playing video games on a sedentary video game console when children played the video game on the activity-promoting console. When examining movement with accelerometry, children moved significantly more when playing the video game on the Nintendo Wii console.

Conclusion: Activity-promoting video games have shown to increase movement, and be an important tool to raise energy expenditure by 50% when compared to sedentary activities of daily living.

Keywords children, energy expenditure, obesity, physical activity, television, video-games

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Thursday, 22 July 2010

Exergaming: virtual inspiration, real perspiration (2009)

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Young Consumers: Insight and Ideas for Responsible Marketers Volume 10, Number 1, 2009 , pp. 35-45(11)

Klein, Matthew J.; Simmers, Christina S.

Purpose - The USA is facing an obesity crisis so large that for the first time in history, this generation of children may have a life span that does not exceed that of its parents. Simultaneously, the gaming industry has introduced a form of video gaming (e.g. Nintendo Wii) that requires the participant to be physically involved in the game. For example, a live player will have a tennis racquet that he/she swings to compete with a virtual opponent on screen. This form of entertainment has been termed "exergaming." People are buying these games for the purpose of entertainment. However, this paper aims to propose that there are possible unanticipated physical benefits of this new gaming technology.
Design/methodology/approach - A survey method is used to examine attitudes about exercise, video gaming and exergaming. Findings - Results indicate a positive attitude toward exergaming, particularly with the more self-identified sedentary respondents. Research limitations/implications - This topic would benefit from a longitudinal study examining the adoption rate of this technology by previously inactive individuals and how its use translates into increased physical activity both with the video game system and other outside fitness activities.
Practical implications - The findings support exergaming as one way to get children to exercise.
Originality/value - The exercise potential of new gaming technology, i.e. "exergaming" is researched.

Wednesday, 21 July 2010

Avatars mirroring the actual self versus projecting the ideal self: the effects of self-priming on interactivity and immersion in an exergame, Wii Fit. (2009)


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Cyberpsychol Behav. . 2009 Dec;12(6):761-5.

Jin SA.

As exergames are increasingly being used as an interventional tool to fight the obesity epidemic in clinical studies, society is absorbing their impact to a more intense degree. Interactivity and immersion are key factors that attract exergame consumers. This research asks, What are the effects of priming the actual self versus the ideal self on users' perceived interactivity and immersion in avatar-based exergame playing? and What are important moderators that play a role in exergame users' self-concept perception? To answer these research questions, this study leveraged the Wii's avatar-creating function (Mii Channel) and exergame feature (Wii Fit) in a controlled, randomized experimental design (N = 126). The results of a 2 x 2 factorial design experiment demonstrated the significant main effect of self-priming on interactivity and the moderating role of the actual-ideal self-concept discrepancy in influencing immersion during exergame playing. Game players who created an avatar reflecting the ideal self reported greater perceived interactivity than those who created a replica avatar mirroring the actual self. A two-way ANOVA demonstrated the moderating role of the actual-ideal self-concept discrepancy in determining the effects of the primed regulatory focus on immersion in the exergame play. The underlying theoretical mechanism is derived from and explained by Higgins's self-concept discrepancy perspective. Practical implications for game developers and managerial implications for the exergame industry are discussed.