Effect of exposure to greater active videogame variety on time spent in moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity

Background: This investigation examined whether exposure to greater active videogame variety increases moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA). Methods: Twenty-three participants (age = 22.7 +/- 42 yrs; body mass index = 23.5 +/- 3.0 kg/m(2); self-reported MVPA = 298.7 +/- 116.7 min/wk; 622% female; 73.9% Caucasian) participated in VARIETY (4 different active videogames during 4, 15-min bouts) and NON-VARIETY (only 1 active videogame during 4, 15-min bouts) counterbalanced sessions. VARIETY provided a different active videogame in each bout. NON-VARIETY provided participants their most highly liked active videogame in each bout. The Sensewear Mini Armband objectively assessed MVPA. Results: For MVPA minutes, a session x bout (p < 0.05) interaction occurred. In NON-VARIETY, bouts 2, 3, and 4 had significantly (p <0.05) fewer minutes than bout 1, with no decrease occurring in VARIETY. In bout 4, VARIETY had significantly (p < 0.05) more minutes than NON-VARIETY. A main effect of session (p < 0.05) occurred for MVPA minutes and energy expenditure, with VARIETY achieving greater amounts (31.8 +/- 14.3 min vs. 27.6 +/- 16.9 min; 186.1 +/- 96.8 kcal vs. 1712 +/- 102.8 kcal). Conclusions: Exposure to greater activity variety within a session increased MVPA. Future research should examine exposure to a variety of activities over a longer time frame with participants of differing lifestyles in free-living environments. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Inc.