Abstract
Exergames are videogames that require physical movement or exertion from the user. Exergames have been suggested to be a motivating alternative to increase physical activity for adults not engaged in traditional exercise. However, limited high-quality data is supporting the long-term effectiveness of exergames for improving health outcomes. PURPOSE: To determine if providing sedentary adults access to a high-intensity exergame could improve cardiometabolic health. METHODS: This was a randomized controlled trial in which 52 inactive but otherwise healthy adults were randomly allocated to either an exergaming (EXG; n=25) or control (CON; n=27) group. Participants in EXG got free, unlimited access to the Playpulse exergaming platform for six months, whereas participants in CON continued with their normal daily routine. We measured maximum oxygen uptake (V̇O2max), blood glucose response to a 2-h oral glucose tolerance test, fasting blood variables (glucose, cholesterol, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, triglycerides), body composition, blood pressure and physical activity levels before and after the intervention period. We also assessed exergaming frequency and enjoyment (according to the -5 to +5 Feeling Scale) in the EXG group. Data were analyzed using covariance analyses (ANCOVA) with baseline values as covariates or a two-way mixed ANOVA. RESULTS: There were no significant difference between CON and EXG for the primary outcome, post-intervention V̇O2max, after controlling for pre-intervention V̇O2max (42.34 ± 0.76 vs 41.71 ± 0.82 mL.min-1kg-1, p = 0.58). Even if not reaching statistical significance, there was a tendency of lower post-intervention low density lipoprotein cholesterol in EXG compared to CON (2.7 ± 0.7 vs 3.0 ± 0.7, p = 0.063). No other changes in secondary outcomes differed between groups. The participants in EXG played 15 ± 13 sessions (range, 0-42) during six months. Their rating of enjoyment was 3 ± 1 on the Feelings Scale. CONCLUSION: Our data show that free, unlimited access to an exergaming platform was not sufficient to improve V̇O2max, blood markers of cardiometabolic health, body composition, or increase physical activity levels in sedentary adults, even if the participants rated the exergame as enjoyable. Funded by The Norwegian Fund for Post-Graduate Training in Physiotherapy
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