Abstract
BackgroundRecently, many studies have been conducted to investigate the effects of exergames on the social well-being of older adults.ObjectiveThe aim of this paper is to synthesize existing studies and provide an overall picture on the social effects of exergames on older adults.MethodsA comprehensive literature search with inclusive criteria was conducted in major social science bibliographic databases. The characteristics of exergames, participants, methodology, as well as outcome measurements were extracted from the relevant studies included in the review. The bibliometric and altmetric outreach of the included studies were also investigated.ResultsA total of 10 studies were included in the review, with 8 studies having used the Nintendo Wii platform. Most of the studies recruited healthy older adults from local communities or senior activity centers. Three groups of social-related outcomes have been identified, including emotion-related, behavior-related, and attitude-related outcomes. A metric analysis has shown that the emotion-related and behavior-related outcomes received high attention from both the academic community and social media platforms.ConclusionsOverall, the majority of exergame studies demonstrated promising results for enhanced social well-being, such as reduction of loneliness, increased social connection, and positive attitudes towards others. The paper also provided implications for health care researchers and exergame designers.
Highlights
Significant population aging has been experienced by countries worldwide
In 2015, a report from the United Nations [1] indicated the number of older adults aged 60 and above was 901 million, which equated to 13% of the entire population
The accumulation of these negative events could result in inadequate social support or impaired social interaction [4,5]
Summary
In 2015, a report from the United Nations [1] indicated the number of older adults aged 60 and above was 901 million, which equated to 13% of the entire population. Older adults often suffer from several common negative events, such as a lack of close family ties (eg, living alone), loss of a loved one, a decline in mobility, or a reduction in active participation in social activities. The accumulation of these negative events could result in inadequate social support or impaired social interaction [4,5]. Many studies have been conducted to investigate the effects of exergames on the social well-being of older adults
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