The Effect of Physical Activity and the Use of Active Video Games: Exergames in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review

• Main Authors: Irwin Andrés Ramírez-Granizo, José Luis Ubago-Jiménez, Gabriel González-Valero, Pilar Puertas-Molero, Silvia San Román-Mata
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-06-01
• Series: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Subjects: exergames; physical activity; children; systematic review
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/12/4243

The aim of this study is to develop a systematic review on the relationship between the use of active video games “exergames” and the practice of physical activity. The Web of Science (WOS) repository was used as the main search engine, using as criteria the selection of longitudinal and experimental studies published in the last five years. A total of eight research papers were obtained, in which intervention programs based on the use of exergames were applied to improve different parameters, such as adherence to Physical Activity practice or improvement on a psychological level. As the main findings, it was possible to observe the need to include these types of devices in the classroom since they can work transversally across much content, and the resources are so accessible that they allow improvements at academic level. Likewise, they favor motivation to physical exercise since with adequate volume and intensity parameters, they are related to healthier lifestyles, and the areas of motor skills and logical thinking benefited the most.