Effects of Active Video Games on Chinese Overweight and Obese College Students' Physical and Mental Health

Summary

Globally, overweight and obesity have become a major health concern and are present at all ages in both developed and developing countries. Sedentary lifestyle habits lead to reduced physical activity, which reduces energy expenditure, and this, combined with excessive energy intake, increases the risk of obesity. Lack of exercise combined with a sedentary lifestyle can exacerbate obesity and chronic disease. Among all obese people, the number of obese college students shows a growing trend. Obesity among college students not only leads to impaired physical health, but may also lead to discrimination, low self-confidence and self-efficacy, and even depression. Although traditional exercise methods can help college students with weight management, many college students do not enjoy these traditional physical activities. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a new form of exercise that is different from traditional exercise to get college students moving. Thus, obtaining the recommended level of physical activity.

With the progress of information technology and the popularity of electronic devices, the frequency of college students using computers and mobile phones has increased. Taking advantage of college students' interest in screen games, it is a new way to control sedentary behaviours and obesity by converting static screen usage time into dynamic screen usage time. Active video games (AVGs) are a new type of video games, which require players to complete the game by interacting with the images on the screen through upper limb, lower limb, and whole-body movements. Studies have shown that playing active video games produces more energy expenditure and physical activity than sedentary video games (static games).

The variety of research on AVGs is promising, but the population of participants in the studies has been mostly children and adolescents. The college student population, with a high prevalence of overweight and obesity, has a high prevalence of screen time. It is especially important to intervene with overweight and obese college students using AVG to shift their interest from screens to exercise, thereby increasing physical activity intensity. Therefore, this paper will systematically investigate the effects of AVGs on physical activity, mental health, and body composition of overweight and obese college students in China.

Conditions

• Physical Inactivity
• Mental Health Issue
• Body Weight Changes

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Active video games intervention（1-6weeks）

Experimental: Experimental group for weeks 1-3: enter the subject's basic information. The Fitness Ring Adventure requires subjects to be proficient in wearing two Joy-Con devices. Therefore, during the three interventions in the first week, subjects were able to fully understand how the AVG was worn, the game mechanics, and the game modes. Familiarise yourself with the warm-up and stretching patterns in the preparation phase of the game in order to be better prepared for subsequent interventions. Experimental group for weeks 4-6: to supervise and assist subjects during this intervention phase and to organize a speed passing competition at the end of week 6 to reward the subjects. Variables related to the subjects' activity, mental health, and physical composition were tested and recorded while testing proficiency in the game.

BEHAVIORAL

Active video games intervention（7-12weeks）

Experimental: Experimental group in weeks 7-9: continue to warm up before each game and then play the game. Passing tasks were set for each subject from week 7 onwards, and they had to pass 2 tasks during each weekly intervention. Experimental group in weeks 10-12: weekly intervention ensured that subjects were able to complete the pass 2 task, and if they completed the pass within the allotted time they were able to review the previously passed task. A boss fight was held in week 12, with a prize awarded to the person who took the shortest time.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Universiti Putra Malaysia

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Yue Zhao, PhD · University Putra Malaysia

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

TRIPLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

22 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2023-10-30

Primary Completion

2024-01-30

Completion

2024-02-15

Countries

• China

Study Locations