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

Abstract

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.

Effectiveness of mHealth App–Based Interventions for Increasing Physical Activity and Improving Physical Fitness in Children and Adolescents: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…This study included 28 publications, all of which were RCTs published between 2014 and 2023 [ 20 , 26 , 28 - 49 ]. The sample size included 5643 subjects, ranging from 12 to 1392 participants per study.…”

“…As shown in Table 1 , the included studies have the following basic characteristics. The age of the participants varied from 3 to 18 years with 5 (18%) of the 28 studies involving preschool children [ 26 , 44 , 46 , 48 , 50 ], 8 (29%) studies involving children [ 28 - 31 , 33 , 36 , 37 , 51 ], and 15 (53%) studies involving adolescents [ 20 , 32 , 34 , 35 , 38 - 43 , 45 , 47 , 49 , 52 , 53 ]. The objectives of the studies differed, and the selection criteria for the target population varied inconsistently.…”

“…Most studies (16/28, 57%) focused on healthy children and adolescents; however, of the 28 studies, 9 (32%) included participants with overweight and those with obesity [ 29 - 31 , 35 , 36 , 39 , 43 , 45 , 52 ], 2 (7%) involved children with cancer [ 34 , 53 ], and 1 (4%) enrolled youth with congenital heart disease [ 40 ]. Of the 28 studies, 8 (29%) were conducted in Asia [ 31 , 36 , 37 , 39 - 41 , 44 , 45 ], while the remaining studies were performed in Oceania (7/28, 25%) [ 29 , 30 , 35 , 38 , 46 , 50 , 53 ], North America (5/28, 18%) [ 28 , 33 , 34 , 43 , 51 ], and Europe (8/28, 29%) [ 20 , 26 , 32 , 42 , 47 - 49 , 52 ].…”

“…This review encompassed 28 studies that used 14 different mHealth apps. These included 9 commercial apps [ 20 , 31 - 33 , 35 , 38 , 41 , 47 , 49 ] and 14 research apps [ 28 - 30 , 39 , 40 , 42 - 46 , 48 , 51 - 53 ], and 5 mHealth apps did not provide the corresponding information [ 26 , 34 , 36 , 37 , 50 ]. The type of intervention used in 15 studies was stand-alone apps [ 20 , 26 , 28 , 32 , 33 , 40 , 41 , 43 - 47 , 49 - 51 ], and 13 studies used concerted intervention [ 29 - 31 , 34 - 39 , 42 , 48 , 52 , 53 ].…”

“…These included 9 commercial apps [ 20 , 31 - 33 , 35 , 38 , 41 , 47 , 49 ] and 14 research apps [ 28 - 30 , 39 , 40 , 42 - 46 , 48 , 51 - 53 ], and 5 mHealth apps did not provide the corresponding information [ 26 , 34 , 36 , 37 , 50 ]. The type of intervention used in 15 studies was stand-alone apps [ 20 , 26 , 28 , 32 , 33 , 40 , 41 , 43 - 47 , 49 - 51 ], and 13 studies used concerted intervention [ 29 - 31 , 34 - 39 , 42 , 48 , 52 , 53 ]. Participant engagement with the intervention was mentioned in 28 studies, 8 studies focused on parent-centered [ 26 , 31 , 36 , 37 , 44 , 46 , 48 , 50 ], the remaining studies were child centered.…”