Abstract
Children with overweight/obese (OW/OB) have low physical activity (PA) levels and excessive daily screen times. Although access to personal smartphones may complicate restricting sedentary screen time, these devices may be used to promote PA and improve fitness. Therefore, we aim to examine the impact of incorporating an exergame application (APP) into an existing weight management program on BMI, physical activity, fitness levels, and attitude toward PA among OW/OB children. Seventy-nine children (51% girls), median age 10 years, completed an established 5-month weight management program. The intervention included structured PA sessions (2/week), nutritional, and behavioral counseling. An exergame app was installed on the smartphones of the intervention group (APP, n = 32). BMI, physical fitness, PA level, and attitudes toward PA were assessed before and after the intervention. BMI decreased (p < 0.0001) in both groups by 0.67 kg/m2 (Q1, Q3: −1.36–0.12). There were improvements in more fitness components in the APP group than controls, with significantly greater improvements in aerobic fitness (p = 0.038), speed and agility (p = 0.01), and leg strength endurance (p = 0.05) compared to controls. PA levels increased similarly in both groups during the intervention period. The incorporation of an exergame application leads to more significant improvements in fitness components. These findings support the use of exergame apps to improve fitness in OW/OB children.
Highlights
Over the last 30 years, childhood obesity has become a global epidemic [1,2] despite the well-known links between obesity, chronic diseases, and health problems [3]
We aimed to examine the impact of integrating a smartphone physical activity (PA) exergame application into an established weight management program for children with OW/OB on various outcomes including, BMI, physical fitness, PA participation, and attitudes toward PA, in order to determine whether exergame apps can be used as a tool to Children 2022, 9, x FOR PEER REVIEW
The multidisciplinary weight management program resulted in weight maintenance in both groups, with a decrease in BMI
Summary
Over the last 30 years, childhood obesity has become a global epidemic [1,2] despite the well-known links between obesity, chronic diseases, and health problems [3]. Its prevalence in children and adolescents is rising [4]. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), 26% of boys and 24% of girls under the age of 20 are overweight or obese (BMI ≥ 85th percentile) [5]. The rate of overweight children increased from 20.5% to 31.4% across 35 OECD countries between 1990 and 2016. From the 2011HBSC survey [6,7] of Israeli children and adolescents in 6–10th grade: the prevalence range for overweight (i.e., 85% ≤ BMI < 95%) boys was 13.7% to 16% and for obese (i.e., BMI ≥ 95%) boys was 13.7% to 17.6%. Approximately 30% of the boys were above the recommended range. Among 6–10th-grade girls, 8.9–12.8% were overweight and 4.8–8% were obese, such that approximately 15% are above recommended range. About one in four children in grades 7–12 at school are overweight or obese [8]
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