Using a Wii Active exergame intervention for clinically overweight and obese low-income African American adolescents
Can motion-based games help adolescents lose weight, increase their cognitive skills, and improve their self-esteem? Does how adolescents play these games have an impact on their benefits? A research team from Georgetown University looked at these questions in a seven-month experiment, where obese and overweight urban high school students were assigned to (1) play Wii Active exergames competitively after school with the goal of lowering their body mass index (BMI), (2) play Wii Active exergames cooperatively in a team after school with the goal of helping each other reduce their BMI, or (3) have no access to Wii Active exergames at school (control condition). The study examined physiological, social, and cognitive outcomes of participants in all three groups to determine whether those who played Wii Active exergames were more physically active; lost more weight; had reduced BMI scores; developed more self-esteem; had more friends; and had better memory, attention, and other cognitive skills than those assigned to the control group. The study also examined whether competitive or cooperative game play influenced those outcomes the most.