What is the clinical evidence from this study?

Study design: RCT. Intervention: exergame training (EXT) vs. moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT). Primary outcome: peak oxygen consumption (VO2 peak), resting heart rate (HR), and systolic blood pressure (SBP) (p=<.05).

March 11, 2025Open Access

Effects of exergaming versus endurance training on cardiorespiratory fitness and hemodynamic parameters: a randomized controlled trial

Q: What are the key findings of this study?

Exergame training for eight weeks resulted in greater improvements in peak oxygen consumption, resting heart rate, and systolic blood pressure compared to moderate-intensity continuous training (p<.05).

Key Result

Exergame training for eight weeks resulted in greater improvements in peak oxygen consumption, resting heart rate, and systolic blood pressure compared to moderate-intensity continuous training (p<.05).

Study Design

Type

RCT (n=47)

Randomization

randomized

Structured PICO

Does exergame training improve cardiorespiratory fitness and hemodynamic parameters compared to moderate-intensity continuous training in healthy, inactive adults?

Population

47 healthy, inactive adults (age 30±11 years, 18-65 years old, not engaged in >1 hour of sports/week), no underlying health conditions or cardiovascular medications. Final analysis n=43 (29 female).

Intervention

Exergame training (EXT) using ExerCube device ('Sphery Racer'), 20-30 minutes, 3 times a week for 8 weeks.

Comparator

Moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) on bicycle ergometer, treadmill, or jogging, 20-45 minutes at 65-75% HRpeak, 3 times a week for 8 weeks.

Outcome

BMI, waist-to-height ratio, body fat (BF), resting heart rate (HR), RMSSD, SDNN, MeanRR, high-frequency power, low-frequency power, ratio of LF to HF power, enjoyment, systolic (SBP) as well as diastolic blood pressure, and peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak) at 8 weekssurrogate

Exergame training is a more effective and enjoyable alternative to traditional moderate-intensity continuous training for improving cardiorespiratory fitness and blood pressure in inactive adults.

Main Result

p-value: p=<.05

Abstract

Abstract Purpose The study determined whether an exergame training (EXT) resulted in greater improvements in health-related outcomes compared to traditional moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT). Methods In total, 47 individuals (age 30±11 years) were randomized into an EXT (n = 24) and an MICT group (n = 23). Throughout the eight-week intervention period, the EXT group attended 20–30 min of EXT three times a week while the MICT group completed 20–45 min of MICT three times a week. Before and after the intervention, BMI, waist-to-height ratio, body fat (BF), resting heart rate (HR), root mean square of successive differences between normal heartbeats (RMSSD), standard deviation of all normal-to-normal intervals (SDNN), average time interval between consecutive R-waves (MeanRR), high-frequency power, low-frequency power, ratio of LF to HF power, enjoyment, systolic (SBP) as well as diastolic blood pressure, and peak oxygen consumption (VO 2 peak) were compared using linear mixed models. Results The analyses revealed main effects of time for BF, HR, RMSSD, SDNN, MeanRR, high-frequency power, and SBP ( ps <.05). A main effect of group was found for enjoyment ( p <.05) with higher values in the EXT group. Group-by-time interactions ( ps <.05) were observed for HR, SBP, and VO 2 peak, indicating differential changes over time between groups. The EXT showed a steeper decline in HR and SBP compared to MICT, while demonstrating a greater increase in VO 2 peak. Conclusions The EXT was more effective than the MICT in improving VO 2 peak, HR, and SBP. The EXT seems to represent a more effective and more attractive alternative to MICT for health promotion. Trial registration number NCT05894031. Graphical abstract

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