Heart rate agreement between the 20-meter shuttle run test and virtual system in healthy children: a cross-sectional study

Background: Earlier studies evaluated the physiological responses to video games in children with different clinical conditions; however, no study has compared active video games with an incremental field test in healthy children. The purpose of this study was to verify the agreement between the 20-meter shuttle run test (20m-SRT) and virtual system (VS). Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of 235 children (9.0 ± 0.8 years, 109 boys). The two tests were performed one week apart and the children were instructed not to engage in any physical exercise or sports in the 24 hours preceding each test. Their resting heart rate was monitored for one minute and then throughout the tests. To evaluate the influence of motivation on the 20 m SRT and (VS), at the end of the tests the children were asked to rate their motivation on a scale of zero to 10, zero being “not cool” and 10 “awesome”. Perceived exertion at the end of the tests was assessed using the modified Borg scale. Results: Maximum heart rate (HRmax) did not differ between the 20m-SRT and VS (194.4 ± 10.2 bpm vs. 193.2 ± 13.8 bpm, respectively). Both tests were similar for intensity > and < 96% HRmax. The children showed greater exertion on the Borg scale and motivation during the VS. The multiple logistic regression model showed that motivation (p=0.98), sex (p=0.53), age (p=0.61), nutritional status (p=0.65), and speed (p=0.18) were not predictive factors of the child’s reaching HRmax. Conclusion: VS can be used as a tool to evaluate the intensity of maximal exercise tests, given that the percentage of children who achieved HRmax did not differ between the VS and 20m SRT. The perceived exertion scales were correlated, but only the modified Borg scale correlated with HRmax in the 20m SRT. The tests are motivational, and most children obtained the maximum VS score.