Short- and longer-term psychological and behavioral effects of exergaming and traditional aerobic training: A randomized controlled trial

This study aimed to compare short- and longer-term psychological and behavioral effects of the exergaming (EX-GAME) and traditional group aerobic training (TRAD) on psychological constructs and physical activity adherence. Young adults (n = 55; 18-24 yrs) were randomized to the EX-GAME and TRAD (active control group) training regimens which had identical exercise volume (3/w, 50 min for 6w). The results indicated that EX-GAME was more effective in improving short- and longer-term autonomy satisfaction (F[1, 41] = 6.12, p = .020, eta(2)(p) = .12) and intrinsic motivation (F[1, 41] = 7.31, p = .009, eta(2)(p) = .19), but TRAD resulted in greater exercise exertion (t[41] = 5.03, p < .001, d = 1.51), enjoyment (F[1, 41]=6.27, p = .018, eta(2)(p) -= .13), and relatedness (F [1,41]=4.56, p= .032, eta(2)(p) =.10). TRAD had showed a larger longterm effect on identified regulation (F[1, 41] = 5.10, p = .029, eta(2)(p) =.11). The results indicated that autonomy is a key agent for a longer-term change, contributing to the positive development of intrinsic motivation (R-2 = .45), identified regulation (R-2 = .27), and reducing amotivation (R-2 = .10). It is noteworthy that interventions did not have longer-term effects on physical activity. The study identified subtle differences between these two training modalities in changing intervention outcomes.

Automated summary

This study compared the short- and longer-term effects of exergaming and traditional group aerobic training on psychological constructs and physical activity adherence. The results showed that exergaming was more effective in improving autonomy satisfaction and intrinsic motivation, while traditional group aerobic training resulted in greater exercise exertion, enjoyment, and relatedness. Autonomy was found to be a key factor for longer-term change.