Background/Purpose : Although comparisons on individuals' physical activity (PA) levels between interactive and sedentary video games have been well documented (e.g., Daley, 2009), such inquiries between interactive games and their corresponding traditional physical activities remain largely unexplored. Thus, this study was designed to compare children's PA levels in Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) and aerobic dance.
Method : Fifty-three fourth grade students (24 boys; M age=10.3 yrs; 72% Latinos) participated in this one-year study with two 30-minute sessions per week. During the study, participants were divided into two groups, with one group playing DDR and the other performing aerobic dance for 15 minutes. Then the groups switched activities in the next 15 minutes. Participants wore NL-1000 pedometers in four consecutive sessions; and sequences for playing were count-ordered. Outcome variables were children's average steps per minute (SPM) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity time (MVPA).
Analysis/Results : MANOVA with repeated measures yielded a significant main effect for dance activity, Wilks' lambda = .50, F(2, 51) = 25.37, p<.01. Follow-up tests suggested children had significant more SPM in aerobic dance (Mean=68.47) than in DDR (Mean=54), F(1, 52) = 33.88, p<.01. Children also had significant more MVPA in aerobic dance (Mean=4.66) than in DDR (Mean=3.16), F(1, 52) = 50.26, p<.01.
Conclusions : The findings suggested children displayed higher PA levels and had more MVPA time in aerobic dance than they did in DDR. Therefore, health professionals should not replace the traditional physical activities with interactive video games. However, substituting interactive video games for sedentary entertainment can be an attractive option.
See more of: Research Consortium