Implementing health behaviors changes is a must in order to combat the increase of the obesity epidemic. It is crucial in such a context to encourage higher levels of physical activities. There are many novel and innovative lifestyle intervention strategies that are currently being explored. Among the most promising of these able to be cited is Exergaming. Exergaming is a form of video gaming that requires players to move during gameplay. The game inherently interacts with the players based on their movements. Examining the existing body of literature, we can demonstrate the presence of an obvious strong correlation between exergaming and increased physical activity and energy expenditures. Most active videogames tested were found to achieve physical activity levels of moderate intensity. In addition to battling obesity, physical activity through exergaming (or other ways) is beneficial for a myriad of other health issues.
TopIntroduction
Healthcare and health services delivery is a challenging process by nature. Currently in a developing patient-centered care era, scientists, healthcare professionals and organizations are striving to solve, in better ways, different health issues that are specifically urgent to address. In this context, obesity is one of the most important health issues that challenge healthcare and healthcare systems worldwide. Indeed, since 1997, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared obesity as a major public health issue and classified it as a global epidemic. In the past, obesity was associated with high-income countries, nowadays it is also prevalent in low- and middle-income countries.
Obesity is a major global problem causing a lot of challenges to the healthcare and public health sectors. At least 2.8 million people die yearly due to being overweight or obese. Generally, obesity impacts all ages and socioeconomic classes. According to the World Health Organization estimates, more than 650 million adults aged 18 years and older are obese (Haththotuwa et al., 2020). Besides, it has been revealed that obesity is present with increasing prevalence among younger populations, causing an amplified risk of chronic diseases. Indeed, obesity is associated with many severe conditions and diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, metabolic diseases, and even some forms of cancer (Van Gaal et al., 2006).
One of the most important factors that significantly increases the rapid expansion of obesity is the prevalence of unhealthy sedentary lifestyles, involving low levels of physical activities and high consumption of calories (Kim et al., 2019).
Implementing health behaviors changes is a must in order to combat the increase of the obesity epidemic. It is crucial in such context to encourage higher levels of physical activities. There are many novel and innovative lifestyle intervention strategies that are currently being explored. Among the most promising of these we can cite Exergaming.
Exergaming is a form of video gaming that requires players to move during gameplay. The game inherently interacts with the players based on their movements (Ga0 et al., 2015). According to the 2019 essential facts about the Computer and Video Game Industry report, large portions of the populations, regardless of their ages, are interested in playing video games, exergaming represents an attractive opportunity to increase the physical activity level. Priorly published studies have reported the use of exergaming to promote physical activities in different age classes.
Examining the existing body of literature, we can demonstrate the presence of an obvious strong correlation between exergaming and increased physical activity and energy expenditures. Most of active videogames tested were found to achieve physical activity levels of moderate intensity (Sween et al., 2014).
In addition to battling obesity, physical activity through exergaming (or other ways) is beneficial for a myriad of other health issues. There are several published studies demonstrating that the practice of regular exergaming can notably promote increased physical activity and therefore, positively impact the physical and mental health of the participants. These studies also showed the educational potential of exergames (Gao et al., 2017; Lee et al., 2017; Staiano et al., 2012; Lindberg et al., 2016; Staiano et al., 2013). The results of these studies, among others, indicate exergames produced positive variations in mood and self-esteem in both genders.
Other studies demonstrated the effectiveness of exergaming in improving cognitive and physical function in people suffering from mild cognitive impairment or dementia (Zhao et al., 2020).
Moreover, some recent publications highlighted the role of exergaming and Active Video Gaming (AVGs) in helping patients experiencing conditions and health issues related to old age, cardiovascular problems, strokes, down syndrome, and various other problems.