Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 25, 2025
Visualization of Intensity Levels to Reduce the Gap Between Self-Reported and Directly Measured Physical Activity
Published on: March 7, 2019
Effect of an Active Video Game Intervention Combined With Multicomponent Exercise for Cardiorespiratory Fitness in
Cristina Comeras-Chueca1,2,3, Lorena Villalba-Heredia1,2,3, Jose Luis Perez-Lasierra1,2,3
1Department of Physiatry and Nursing, Faculty of Health Science, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.
Background:
Childhood overweight and obesity have become major global health problems and are negatively related with the cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) level in school children and adolescents. Exercise, specifically multicomponent training, is effective for CRF improvement, but the main challenge is to ensure adherence to exercise in children with overweight and obesity. Therefore, new ways of exercising that are more attractive and motivational for this population are needed and playing or training with active video games (AVGs) has been proposed as an effective alternative because they require full-body movement and therefore increase energy expenditure.
Objective:
The main aim of this study was to investigate the effects of an AVG intervention combined with multicomponent training on CRF at maximal and submaximal intensities in children with overweight or obesity.
Methods:
We recruited 28 children (13 girls and 15 boys) aged 9 to 11 years with overweight or obesity from medical centers and divided them into 2 groups, an intervention group (n=20) that participated in a 5-month supervised AVG exercise program combined with multicomponent exercise, and a control group (n=8) that continued daily activities without modification. A maximal stress test to measure CRF using a walking-graded protocol with respiratory gas exchange was performed by the participants.
Results:
The AVG group showed a significant decrease in heart rate and oxygen uptake for the same intensities in the submaximal stages of the maximal treadmill test, as well as a lower oxygen uptake percentage according to the individual maximal oxygen uptake, whereas the control group did not show overall changes. No change in the peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) was found.
Conclusions:
A 5-month AVG intervention combined with multicomponent exercise had positive effects on CRF at submaximal intensity, showing a lower heart rate and oxygen uptake at the same intensities and displaying a lower oxygen uptake percentage according to the individual (VO2peak). Greater benefits were found in children with the highest fat percentage.
Trial Registration:
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04418713; https://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT04418713.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:17Exercise and Cardiac Output
Sustained exercise increases the muscles' oxygen demand, which can be...
01:20Exercise and Cardiovascular Response
Light to moderate physical activity initiates a series of interconnected responses in the body. The heart rate modestly increases in anticipation of the workout, followed by widespread vasodilation as oxygen consumption by skeletal muscles increases. This results in decreased peripheral resistance, increased capillary blood flow, and accelerated...
01:24Obesity
01:26Exercise Stress Test
Exercise stress testing, commonly known as a treadmill test, is a noninvasive procedure used to evaluate cardiovascular function and diagnose heart conditions.
Definition
An exercise stress test measures the heart's response to exertion using a treadmill or stationary bicycle. Chest electrodes record the heart's electrical activity through an ECG, and blood pressure is monitored regularly.
Purposes