New entry in Digiplay games research bibliography:

OBJECTIVE: To compare energy expenditure rates in children playing the physically active video games, Dance Dance Revolution ( DDR) and Nintendo's Wii Sports in relation to treadmill walking.METHODS: Energy expenditure, heart rate, step rate, and perceived exertion were measured in 14 boys and 9 girls ( ages 10-13 years; BMI at 3-98th percentile for age and gender) while watching television at rest, playing DDR at 2 skill levels, playing Wii bowling and boxing, and walking at 2.6, 4.2, and 5.7 km/h. Arterial elasticity was measured at rest and immediately after gaming.RESULTS: Compared with watching television, energy expenditure while gaming or walking increased 2- to 3-fold. Similarly, high rates of energy expenditure, heart rate, and perceived exertion were elicited from playing Wii boxing, DDR level 2, or walking at 5.7 km/h. This occurred despite variations in step rate among activities, reflecting greater use of upper body during Wii play ( lowest step rate) than during walking ( highest step rate) or DDR play. Wii bowling and beginner level DDR elicited a 2-fold increase in energy expenditure compared to television watching. Large-artery elasticity declined immediately after both DDR and Wii. The change was inversely related to the increment in energy expenditure above rest achieved during the activity.CONCLUSIONS: Energy expenditure during active video game play is comparable to moderate-intensity walking. Thus, for children who spend considerable time playing electronic screen games for entertainment, physically active games seem to be a safe, fun, and valuable means of promoting energy expenditure. Pediatrics 2009; 124: 534-540

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The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the effect of a weekly multiplayer class on the motivation of children aged 9-12 years to play an interactive dance simulation video game (IDSVG) at home over a period of 12 weeks. A sample of 27 children was randomly assigned to (1) a home group instructed to play the IDSVG at home; (2) a multiplayer group instructed to play the IDSVG at home and to participate in a weekly IDSVG multiplayer class. Participants were asked to play the IDSVG as often as they liked and report the playing time daily on a calendar for a 12-week period. Motivation to play was assessed by the playing duration of IDSVG in minutes and the dropout during the study. Mean age of the 16 children who completed the study was 10.6 $\pm$0.8 years. During the 12-week intervention period, the multiplayer group played approximately twice as many minutes (901 min) as the home group (376 min, p = 0.13). Dropout was significantly (p = 0.02) lower in the multiplayer group (15\%) than in the home group (64\%). Our findings suggest that multiplayer classes may increase children's motivation to play interactive dance simulation video games. \copyright2007 Sports Medicine Australia.

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OBJECTIVE. We examined the effect of activity-enhancing screen devices on children's energy expenditure compared with performing the same activities while seated. Our hypothesis was that energy expenditure would be significantly greater when children played activity-promoting video games, compared with sedentary video games.METHODS. Energy expenditure was measured for 25 children aged 8 to 12 years, 15 of whom were lean, while they were watching television seated, playing a traditional video game seated, watching television while walking on a treadmill at 1.5 miles per hour, and playing activity-promoting video games.RESULTS. Watching television and playing video games while seated increased energy expenditure by 20 +/- 13% and 22 +/- 12% above resting values, respectively. When subjects were walking on the treadmill and watching television, energy expenditure increased by 138 +/- 40% over resting values. For the activity-promoting video games, energy expenditure increased by 108 +/- 40% with the EyeToy (Sony Computer Entertainment) and by 172 +/- 68% with Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix 2 (Konami Digital Entertainment).CONCLUSIONS. Energy expenditure more than doubles when sedentary screen time is converted to active screen time. Such interventions might be considered for obesity prevention and treatment.

New entry in Digiplay games research bibliography:

The purpose of this systematic review was to (i) estimate the prevalence and dose of television (TV) viewing, video game playing and computer use, and (ii) assess age-related and (iii) secular trends in TV viewing among youth (<= 18 yr). Ninety studies published in English language journals between 1949 and 2004 were included, presenting data from 539 independent samples (the unit of analysis). Results suggest contemporary youth watch on average 1.8-2.8 h of TV per day, depending on age and gender. Most (66%) are 'low users' (< 2 h day(-1)) of TV but 28% watch more than 4 h day(-1). Boys and girls with access to video games spend approximately 60 and 23 min day(-1), respectively, using this technology. Computer use accounts for an additional 30 min day(-1). Age-specific data suggest TV viewing decreases during adolescence, but those considered 'high users' at young ages are likely to remain high users when older. For children with access to a television set, the number of hours spent viewing does not appear to have increased over the past 50 years.

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Background and Objective: Waist circumference (W) has been shown to be a good predictor of cardiovascular risk. The aim of this study was to investigate whether physical activity (PA) is related to W in adolescents as previously shown in adults. Design and Subjects: Cross-sectional population-based survey of 2714 12-y-old adolescents from the eastern part of France. MEASUREMENTS: Body mass index (BMI) and W were measured. Structured PA, active commuting to and from school and sedentary activities (SED), for example television viewing, computer/video games and reading and different potential confounders (dietary habits, parental overweight, family annual income tax and educational level) were assessed by a questionnaire. Results: The adolescents had a mean BMI of 19.0+/-3.4 kg/m(2), and 20.2% of them were overweight, with no gender difference. Boys had a greater W than girls (67.6+/-9.1 vs 65.7+/-8.9 cm, P<0.0001). In all, 42% of the girls and 25% of the boys did not practice any structured PA outside school and less than 40% of the adolescents commuted actively to school more than 20 min/day. About one-third of the adolescents devoted more than 2 h/day to SED. In univariate analyses, BMI was negatively associated with structured PA but significantly only for girls (P<0.01) and positively associated with SED for both genders (P<0.0001 for girls, P<0.01 for boys). W was negatively associated with structured PA and positively associated with SED both in girls (P<0.0001 and P=0.03, respectively) and boys (P<0.01 and P=0.08, respectively). Multiple general linear models show that SED is associated with BMI, independently of structured PA, in both genders. On the other hand, structured PA was inversely associated with W, independently of SED. The inverse relation between structured PA and W persisted after additional adjustment on BMI, with a greater effect of PA for the adolescents with higher BMI. Conclusions: In 12-y-old adolescents, structured PA is inversely associated with W, an indicator of total adiposity but also more specifically of abdominal fat. This suggests that PA may have a beneficial effect on youth metabolic and cardiovascular risks, in particular in the presence of overweight.

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