Games for Health Journal最新文献

Introduction: Particularly in the last 2 years, due to the new coronavirus pandemic, people with depression have increasingly sought human connection and relief from depressive symptoms through playing in the world of videogames, and a small yet growing portion of researchers have been investigating the therapeutic potential of that kind of interaction. Objective: The objective of this review was to provide an exploration of the current panorama of scientific research with videogames used as therapeutic intervention tools for depression. Method: A systematic review was performed for that purpose, with a semantic field of 12 keywords around the terms "depression," "mental health," and "video games" narrowed down into a concise syntax-(games OR serious games) AND (depression) AND (treatment)-applied to relevant databases for health research; followed by the execution of a search and screening protocol based on one guiding question; and analysis of results based on four elaborative questions. Results: Twenty-six studies met the inclusion criteria and provided a set of both quantitative and qualitative data about demographics, kinds of therapeutic interventions, types of videogames used in the interventions, places, and forms of interaction. Conclusion: Important gaps were found in the review, such as a lack of research aimed at the age group most affected by the disorder, who is also the largest consumer of games; and fresh opportunities to expand the understanding of the subject as well as guide developments of game-based therapeutic interventions.

Objective: This study examined the effects of motor-cognitive dual-task exergaming standing balance training on healthy older adults' static, dynamic, and walking balance. Methods: Twenty-four adults older than 70 years (control group: n = 9, males = 6, balance training group: n = 15, males = 8) completed the experiment. Dual-tasking standing balance training comprised the accurate control of a ping-pong ball on a tray held with both hands, while standing on one leg (analog training) and three modules of Wii Fit™ exergaming (digital training). The duration of balance training was ∼15 minutes per day, 2 days per week for 8 weeks, in total 16 sessions. We measured one-leg standing time, functional reach distance, walking balance evaluated by the distance walked on a narrow beam (4-cm long, 4-cm wide, and 2-cm high) with single and dual tasking, habitual and maximal walking speed, and muscle strength of the hip extensor, hip abductor, hip adductor, knee extensor, and plantarflexor muscle groups in the right leg at baseline and after 8 weeks. Results: Control group decreased, but balance training group increased one-leg standing time. Only the balance training group improved functional reach distance and hip and knee extensor strength. There was no change in walking speed and walking balance in either group. In the balance training group, changes in maximal speed correlated with changes in dual-tasking walking balance and changes in one-leg standing time correlated with changes in single-tasking walking balance. Conclusion: These results suggest that 16 sessions of motor-cognitive dual-task standing exergaming balance training substantially improved healthy older adults' static and dynamic balance and leg muscle strength but failed to improve walking speed and walking balance. Balance exercises specific to walking balance need to be included in balance training to improve walking balance.

Objective: The use of virtual reality (VR) as a non-pharmacologic method may enable children to tolerate invasive procedures in a hospital setting easily and feel less pain. This study aimed at determining the effect of using a VR headset during venipuncture on pain level, heart rate (HR), and oxygen saturation values in children aged 7-12 years old. Materials and Methods: This was a randomized controlled experimental study. This study included 102 children (experimental group: 52; control group: 50) who visited a pediatric outpatient clinic of a university hospital in Turkey between May 2018 and May 2019. Data were collected using the Child and Family Information Form, State Anxiety Inventory for Children, Faces Pain Scale-Revised (FPS-R). Before venipuncture, state anxiety and pain scores of the children were evaluated. The children in the experimental group wore VR headsets during venipuncture. The children in the control group underwent standard venipuncture procedure. Pain scores were evaluated again in both groups after the venipuncture. Before, during, and after the venipuncture, pulse and oxygen saturation values were measured. Results: It was determined that post-procedure pain score was 1.46 ± 1.49 in the experimental group and 4.44 ± 2.26 in the control group. Post-venipuncture pain mean scores were significantly lower in the experimental group than those of the children in the control group (Z = -6.574; P = 0.001). Secondary outcomes: The mean HR during the procedure was significantly lower in the experimental group (99.27 ± 18.34/min) than in the control group (108.20 ± 21.42/min) (P = 0.026; t = -2.265). There was no statistically significant difference between the before and after the procedure difference of oxygen saturation values (Experimental group: -0.15 ± 1.54; Control Group: 0.04 ± 0.93) between groups (Z = -0.023; P = 0.982). Conclusion: It was determined that post-venipuncture pain mean scores were significantly lower in the experimental group than in the control group. VR is effective to reduce the pain of children during venipuncture. VR headsets may be recognized as effective instruments to reduce the pain level of children in hospital settings. (Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT04950478).

Introduction: Impairment of postural control and functional mobility are debilitating symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD). In addition to limiting performance in activities of daily living, it is associated with a higher prevalence of falls in this population. Particularly, dysfunction in postural control does not respond to dopaminergic replacement therapy, but physiotherapy can improve this outcome in patients with PD. Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of training based on Kinect Adventures games compared with a conventional physiotherapy protocol based on the core areas of the European physiotherapy guideline in patients with PD on postural control, functional mobility, self-perception of confidence in the balance, quality of life (QoL), lower limb muscle strength, transfer skill and motor function, as well as to observe adherence and safety interventions. Methods: Thirty-eight patients diagnosed with idiopathic PD were randomized into two groups, and performed 14 training sessions, twice a week for 60 minutes. The primary outcome assessed postural control using the Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Mini-BESTest). The following were evaluated as secondary outcomes: limit of stability; balance functional reserve and center of pressure area by computerized posturography; functional mobility by the Timed Up and Go test; self-confidence in balance through the Activities-specific Balance Confidence scale; QoL through the Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire; lower limb muscle strength by the Five Times Sit-To-Stand test; and motor function by the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale. Results: Patients completed training sessions with high rates of safety and adherence. After training, there was a significant improvement in postural control, motor function, and QoL. Conclusion: Both interventions proved to be safe, applicable, and effective to improve postural control, QoL, and motor function in patients with PD. However, there was no difference between the effects of Kinect Adventures games and conventional physiotherapeutic protocol in patients with PD. Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials (RBR-27kqv5).

Active exergaming for improving cognitive function is a relatively novel concept as it has certain unique features that could prove advantageous in improving patient outcomes, particularly in patients with neurological disabilities. Hence, we have conducted this review to obtain a comprehensive estimate of effectiveness of active exergames for improving cognitive functioning in patients with neurological disabilities. Literature search was done in PubMed Central, SCOPUS, MEDLINE, and Cochrane Library, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar until February 2022. We carried out a meta-analysis with a random-effects model and reported pooled standardized mean differences (SMDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). In total, we analyzed 21 studies and half of them had a high risk of bias and were conducted in Korea and the United States. The pooled SMD for global cognition was 0.46 (95% CI: -0.01 to 0.94; I² = 81.2%), pooled SMD for attention function was 0.49 (95% CI: -0.12 to 0.10; I² = 81%), pooled SMD for perception function was 0.31 (95% CI: -0.02 to 0.65; I² = 0%), and pooled SMD for executive function was -0.26 (95% CI: -0.86 to 0.33; I² = 86.7%). Active exergames can have a beneficial effect on most cognitive outcomes, although not statistically significant for managing patients with neurological disabilities.

Background: Adolescents frequently experience high levels of anxiety and stress, which can impede quality of life and academic performance. Boxing as a form of exercise has been shown to have mental health benefits in adults. Methods: This study investigated the impact of boxing exercise with a virtual reality (VR) game vs. with a guided video on anxiety, stress, and executive function in adolescents. Participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 cohorts: Oculus Rift BOXVR game (n = 14), boxing with a guided workout video (n = 14), or a non-intervention control (n = 14). The BOXVR and guided video groups participated in 10-minute exercise sessions, 5 times a week for 3 weeks. Results: The groups were comparable at baseline on all outcomes. Only BOXVR participants exhibited a significant (p < 0.001) reduction in stress and significant improvements on the Trail Making Test (TMT) B at weekly checkpoints and follow up. All cohorts showed improvements in executive function on the TMT A. At the end of the study, the BOXVR group reported significantly lower stress levels than the guided video group, and significantly better TMT A & B scores than the control group. Only the control group showed a significant reduction in anxiety but the groups were not significantly different in anxiety at the end of the study. The BOXVR group reported significantly greater enjoyment after each exercise session than the guided video group. Conclusion: BOXVR was shown to be effective in reducing adolescent stress and improving executive function over a three-week period. While larger studies with real-life functional outcomes are necessary, boxing with an immersive VR game represents a potential non-pharmaceutical mode to reduce stress in adolescents that is easy to implement in school settings.

Exergames are promising options for modulating the effects of aging on physical and cognitive functions. A new-generation immersive and interactive wall exergame (I2WE) has emerged in recent years, offering users freedom of movement as well as greater and varied interactions with other players, the environment, and the system than traditional games (e.g., Wii™, Kinect). These features could improve the user experience (UX) and thus the engagement and benefits of the intervention for older people. The purpose of this study was to determine whether this kind of exergame could be an effective tool for multidomain training for the elderly. An exploratory study was conducted with 38 healthy older adults who tested a single exergame session to evaluate the UX and the perceived enjoyment, as well as the session's workload and intensity. The results show that I2WE generates moderate-to-high physical intensity, following recommendations for older people, while the perceived exertion is lower. Moreover, it creates a positive UX that correlates with high perceived enjoyment while producing a suitable session's workload. I2WE appears to be an effective tool to promote physical activity while concurrently stimulating cognition in older adults. The intrinsic characteristics (i.e., immersion, combined physical and cognitive activity, interactions, complex motor skills, playfulness, and variety of collective games) give this new type of exergame a promising future. Future studies should be conducted to investigate the effects of an I2WE program on the physical and cognitive functions of older adults.

Objective: Balance is a strong indicator of physical development of adolescents, and there is a trend of employing exergame for balance training. However, the effectiveness of exergame specifically designed for balance training on adolescents' balance abilities in various postures remains unclear. Materials and Methods: In this study, an exergame for balance training was developed with Kinect and a randomized controlled trial was conducted to assess its effect on balance ability development. Thirty-two healthy adolescents (age: 11.44 ± 0.51) were recruited to participate in an 8-week trial and randomly allocated to an exergame group (N = 16) or control group (N = 16). Results: The static balance test in the eagle stance posture and the dynamic balance test using the Y-Balance Test were both conducted before and after the intervention. From the results of Mann-Whitney U test, the intervention group presented greater improvement during the eagle stance test with eyes closed than the control group with P = 0.009 and P = 0.03 in left and right leg, respectively. The intervention group also showed a more significant improvement in dynamic balance (P = 0.002), which was reflected by the higher increase of composite scores. Furthermore, the balance ability when standing with nondominant leg or eyes closed, both presented higher improvements than standing with dominant leg or eyes opened, respectively. Moreover, 75% participants reported high interest and 87.5% participants expressed high engagement with exergame (score ≥4) using 5-score scale questionnaire. Conclusion: The proposed exergame for balance training could potentially promote balance training and serve as an educational tool for healthy adolescents to enhance their balance abilities.

The aim of this systematic review was to review the evidence for serious gaming interventions in improving sensorimotor function in children and adults with cerebral palsy (CP). Seven databases were searched with terms related to serious gaming and CP. Articles were evaluated according to the Downs and Black rating scale and important principles of serious gaming defined by Whyte et al. Extracted data included the population, intervention, serious gaming elements, outcomes, and authors' conclusions. Fifty-seven articles were identified for inclusion. Participants' ages ranged from 3 to 57 years. Interventions tested included commercial videogames as well as specially designed games. Most interventions had themed content, short-term goals, rewards, feedback, and multiple games. Outcome measures and study designs were inconsistent between studies. Sensorimotor function results of noncomparative studies were positive or neutral overall, but results of comparative studies were more mixed. We concluded that serious gaming interventions may be a useful adjunct to treatment as they are noninvasive, were not associated with deterioration in most cases, and may improve compliance. More comparative studies need to be completed to assess compliance and treatment outcomes. Future games should also aim to adhere more closely to the principles of serious gaming.

Objectives: Exergaming is promising for patients with heart failure who are less inclined to start or maintain exercise programs involving traditional modes of physical activity. Although no effect on exercise capacity was found for an off-the-shelf exergame, it is important to gain insights into aspects related to costs to develop such interventions further. Materials and Methods: In a randomized controlled trial, the Heart Failure Wii study (HF-Wii study), the intervention group (exergame group) received an introduction to the exergame, the exergame was installed at home and help was offered when needed for 3 months. Patients received telephone follow-ups at 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks after the installation. The control group (motivational support group) received activity advice and telephone follow-ups at 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks. We collected data on hospital use and costs, costs of the exergame intervention, patient time-related costs, and willingness to pay. Results: No significant differences were found between the exergame group (n = 300) versus the motivational support group (n = 305) in hospital use or costs (1-year number of hospitalizations: P = 0.60, costs: P = 0.73). The cost of the intervention was 190 Euros, and the patient time-related costs were 98 Euros. Of the total estimated costs for the intervention, 287 Euros, patients were willing to pay, on average, 58%. Conclusion: This study shows that the costs of an intervention using an off-the-shelve exergame are relatively low and that the patients were willing to pay for more than half of the intervention costs. The trial is registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01785121).