Can E-Gaming Be Useful for Achieving Recommended Levels of Moderate- to Vigorous-Intensity Physical Activity in Inner-City Children?

Abstract

Abstract

Objective:

The purpose of this study was to compare the energy expenditure of a tailored, interactive genre of e-gaming (“Winds of Orbis: An Active Adventure”; Entertainment Technology Center, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA) (www.activeadventuregame.com) with that of a tethered videogame (“Dance Dance Revolution” [DDR]; Konami Digital Entertainment, El Segundo, CA) and with traditional physical education (PE) activities in meeting recommended levels of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA).

Subjects and Methods:

Schoolchildren (n=104) in grades 3–8 from inner-city Washington, DC completed three randomly ordered 20-minute bouts of DDR, “Orbis,” and PE. Energy expenditure was measured using accelerometry.

Results:

Overall, energy expenditure was significantly greater from PE compared with “Orbis” and DDR (P<0.01). Among girls (n=58) and children with obesity (n=49), however, energy expenditure from “Orbis” and PE was similar, and both resulted in higher energy expenditure compared with DDR (P<0.01). After adjustment for sex, grade, and body mass index, we observed that among children in grades 3–5 energy expenditure from all three activities was sufficient to meet recommended intensity criteria for vigorous activity (>6 metabolic equivalents). Among children in grades 6–8, however, these vigorous-intensity criteria were met only by boys and only with PE activities.

Conclusions:

In the school setting, traditional PE activities continue to work well for some children in meeting MVPA recommendations. Among special subgroups, however, e-gaming may provide a useful supplement to PE in increasing activity levels during the school day and beyond.