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Updated: Apr 20, 2026
Visualization of Intensity Levels to Reduce the Gap Between Self-Reported and Directly Measured Physical Activity
Published on: March 7, 2019
A pilot crossover study: effects of an intervention using an activity monitor with computerized game functions on
Masato Nishiwaki1, Akinori Kuriyama, Yumi Ikegami
1Faculty of Engineering, Osaka Institute of Technology, 5-16-1 Ohmiya, Asahi-Ku, Osaka 535-8585, Japan. masato.nishiwaki@oit.ac.jp.
Background:
Wearing an activity monitor as a motivational tool and incorporating a behavior-based reward system or a computerized game element might have a synergistic effect on an increase in daily physical activity, thereby inducing body fat reduction. This pilot crossover study aimed to examine the effects of a short-term lifestyle intervention using an activity monitor with computerized game functions on physical activity and body composition.
Methods:
Twenty healthy volunteers (31 ± 3 years) participated in a 12-week crossover study. The participants were randomly assigned to either Group A (a 6-week game intervention followed by a 6-week normal intervention) or Group B (a 6-week normal intervention followed by a 6-week game intervention). The participants wore both a normal activity monitor (Lifecorder EX) and an activity monitor with computerized game functions (Yuuhokei) during the game intervention, whereas they only wore a normal activity monitor during the normal intervention. Before, during, and after the intervention, body composition was assessed.
Results:
Significantly more daily steps were recorded for the game intervention than for the normal intervention (10,520 ± 562 versus 8,711 ± 523 steps/day, P < 0.01). The participants performed significantly more physical activity at an intensity of ≥ 3 metabolic equivalents (METs) in the game intervention than in the normal intervention (3.1 ± 0.2 versus 2.4 ± 0.2 METs · hour/day, P < 0.01). Although body mass and fat were significantly reduced in both periods (P < 0.01), the difference in body fat reduction was significantly greater in the game intervention than in the normal intervention (P < 0.05).
Conclusions:
A short-term intervention using an activity monitor with computerized game functions increases physical activity and reduces body fat more effectively than an intervention using a standard activity monitor.
