Activity-Promoting Video Games and Increased Energy Expenditure
Received 24 June 2008; received in revised form 9 December 2008; accepted 7 January 2009. published online 26 March 2009.
Objectives
To test the hypothesis that both children and adults would expend more calories and move more while playing activity-promoting video games compared with sedentary video games.
Study design
In this single-group study, 22 healthy children (12 ± 2 years; 11 male, 11 female) and 20 adults (34 ± 11 years; 10 male, 10 female) were recruited. Energy expenditure and physical activity were measured while participants were resting, standing, watching television seated, sitting and playing a traditional sedentary video game, and while playing an activity-promoting video game (Nintendo Wii Boxing). Physical activity was measured with accelerometers, and energy expenditure was measured with an indirect calorimeter.
Results
Energy expenditure was significantly greater than all other activities when children or adults played Nintendo Wii (mean increase over resting, 189 ± 63 kcal/hr, P < .001, and 148 ± 71 kcal/hr, P < .001, respectively). When examining movement with accelerometry, children moved significantly more than adults (55 ± 5 arbitrary acceleration units and 23 ± 2 arbitrary acceleration units, respectively, P < .001) while playing Nintendo Wii.
Conclusion
Activity-promoting video games have the potential to increase movement and energy expenditure in children and adults.
aEndocrine Research Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
bDepartment of Family Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester MN
cDivision of Pediatric Endocrinology and Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
Reprint requests: Lorraine Lanningham-Foster, PhD, Food Science and Human Nutrition, Iowa State University, 220 MacKay Hall, Ames, IA 50011
Supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (HD 5001, DK 63226, 66270 and M01-RR00585). Support was also provided by the Mayo Clinic Department of Family Medicine Small Grants Program. The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
ABSTRACT