Pitfalls and promises of exergaming and activity monitoring technologies

Abstract

Childhood obesity is a phenomenon that is of great concern in many communities. Decreased levels of physical activity and increased levels of sedentary behavior are two of the major contributors to the increasing rates of obesity among children and adolescents. Nowadays a majority of children's leisure time is spent engaged in screen-based activities. This is likely due to the advent of new technologies such as video games, smartphones and digital tablets that engage children and adolescents. However, converting these passive screen activities to active activities has been achieved through the development of exergames, video games that integrate physical activity into the game play. Exergames provide some potential for promoting increased level of physical activity. New wearable activity monitoring technologies, such as pedometers, that track everyday activity provide another technology solution for promoting active lifestyles. This paper provides a contemporary review on the pitfalls and promises of using these two technology approaches to increase physical activity in children and adolescents