Johnston Jeanne D, Massey Anne P, Marker-Hoffman Rickie Lee
Department of Kinesiology, School of Health Physical Education and Recreation, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, USA.
J Diabetes Sci Technol. 2012 Jul 1;6(4):828-38. doi: 10.1177/193229681200600414.
This quasi-experimental study investigated a game intervention--specifically, an alternate reality game (ARG)--as a means to influence college students' physical activity (PA). An ARG is an interactive narrative that takes place in the real world and uses multiple media to reveal a story.
Three sections of a college health course (n = 115 freshman students) were assigned either to a game group that played the ARG or to a comparison group that learned how to use exercise equipment in weekly laboratory sessions. Pre- and post-intervention measures included weight, waist circumference, body mass index (BMI), percentage body fat (PBF), and self-reported moderate physical activity (MPA) and vigorous physical activity (VPA), and PA (steps/week).
A significant group x time interaction (p = .001) was detected for PA, with a significant increase in PA for the game (p < .001) versus a significant decrease (p = .001) for the comparison group. Significant within-group increases for weight (p = .001), BMI (p = .001), and PBF (p = .001) were detected. A significant group x time interaction (p = .001) was detected when analyzing self-reported VPA, with both groups reporting decreases in VPA over time; however, the decrease was only significant for the comparison group (p < .001). No significant group differences were found for MPA.
It is important that any intervention meet the needs and interests of its target population. Here, the ARG was designed in light of the learning preferences of today's college students--collaborative and social, experiential and media-rich. Our results provide preliminary evidence that a game intervention can positively influence PA within the college student population.
本准实验研究调查了一种游戏干预——具体而言，一种替代现实游戏（ARG）——作为影响大学生身体活动（PA）的一种手段。替代现实游戏是一种在现实世界中进行的交互式叙事，它使用多种媒体来揭示一个故事。
将大学健康课程的三个班级（n = 115名新生）分配到玩替代现实游戏的游戏组或在每周的实验课上学习如何使用健身器材的对照组。干预前后的测量指标包括体重、腰围、体重指数（BMI）、体脂百分比（PBF）、自我报告的中等强度身体活动（MPA）和剧烈身体活动（VPA）以及身体活动（步数/周）。
在身体活动方面检测到显著的组×时间交互作用（p = 0.001），游戏组的身体活动显著增加（p < 0.001），而对照组则显著下降（p = 0.001）。在组内检测到体重（p = 0.001）、BMI（p = 0.001）和PBF（p = 0.001）有显著增加。在分析自我报告的剧烈身体活动时检测到显著的组×时间交互作用（p = 0.001），两组报告随着时间推移剧烈身体活动都有所下降；然而，只有对照组的下降是显著的（p < 0.001）。在中等强度身体活动方面未发现显著的组间差异。
任何干预措施满足其目标人群的需求和兴趣都很重要。在此，替代现实游戏是根据当今大学生的学习偏好设计的——协作性和社会性、体验性和媒体丰富性。我们的结果提供了初步证据，表明游戏干预可以对大学生群体的身体活动产生积极影响。
