Influence of Pokémon Go Playing Style on Physical Activity and Its Effect on Kinanthropometry Variables and Body Composition in Adolescents

BACKGROUND

Pokémon Go is a mobile app that offers both continuous and intermittent (gamified) gameplay, but no previous research in adolescents is known to have addressed changes in physical activity and body composition according to playing style. For this reason, the aims of the present investigation were (1) to establish the differences in the level of physical activity, and its influence on the kinanthropometric and body composition, of the adolescent population, considering their Pokémon Go playing style; and (2) to analyze whether the practice of previous physical activity has an influence on the effects of the use of Pokémon Go on the level of physical activity and changes in kinanthropometric and body composition variables.

METHODS

A total of 94 adolescents (50 males and 44 females; mean age: 13.66 [1.17] years-old; mean body mass index: 20.82 [4.03] kg/m2) whose physical activity level and body composition were measured, participated in the investigation. Two groups of adolescents completed a 10-week intervention using Pokémon Go continuously (n = 30) or intermittently (n = 31), while the control group (n = 33) did not use any after-school app. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), a multivariate analysis of variance, and 2 repeated-measures ANOVA were performed to analyze the data.

RESULTS

Inactive adolescents in the continuous use group increased their physical activity between the pretest and posttest (P = .038), but this did not occur in the active group. Regarding body composition variables, the increase in body mass (P < .001) and body mass index (P = .006) in the control group was significantly higher than in the continuous use group of adolescents who were inactive, but not in the active group, while the decrease in fat mass (P < .001-.036) and sum of 3 skinfolds (P < .001-.003) was significantly higher in both Pokémon Go use groups as compared to the control group, regardless of the previous physical activity level.

CONCLUSIONS

The continuous style of play seems to be more effective in increasing physical activity in adolescents, but the changes in body composition and kinanthropometric variables occur similarly with continuous and intermittent gameplay. Therefore, the playful use of Pokémon Go can be used in educational and health fields to produce changes in body composition in this population.

Effects of running-based versus body-weight-based high-intensity interval training on physical fitness in healthy adolescents

Objectives: High-intensity interval training improves aerobic endurance, but the effectiveness of different training protocols is unclear. This study compared the effects of running-based high-intensity interval training (R-HIIT) and body weight-based high-intensity interval training (B-HIIT) on physical fitness in adolescents.

Methods: This was a pre-and post-test quasi-experimental design in which a seventh-grade natural class was randomly selected from three homogeneous middle schools, and then the three natural classes were randomly divided into three groups: the R-HIIT group (n = 54), the B-HIIT group (n = 55), and the control group (Con, n = 57). Both intervention groups exercised twice a week for 12 weeks with a 2:1 (1 min:30 s) load-interval ratio and exercise intensity controlled at 70%–85% maximum heart rate. R-HIIT was in the form of running, and B-HIIT was in the form of resistance exercises using the participants’ body weight. The control group was instructed to continue their normal behavior. cardiorespiratory fitness, muscle strength and endurance, and speed were measured before and after the intervention. Statistical differences between and within groups were determined using repeated measures analysis of variance.

Results: Compared to the baseline, both the R-HIIT and B-HIIT intervention groups significantly improved CRF, muscle strength, and speed (p &lt; 0.05). The B-HIIT group was significantly better than R-HIIT in improving CRF (4.48 mL/kg/min vs 3.34 mL/kg/min, p &lt; 0.05), and only the B-HIIT improved sit-up muscle endurance (ηp2 = 0.30, p &lt; 0.05).

Conclusion: The B-HIIT protocol was significantly more effective than the R-HIIT protocol in developing CRF and improving muscle health indicators.