Effectiveness of a Digital Game-Based Physical Activity Program (AI-FIT) on Health-Related Physical Fitness in Elementary School Children.

OBJECTIVES

This study empirically examined the effects of a digital game-based physical activity program (AI-FIT) on elementary school children's health-related physical fitness while exploring the role of educational technology (EdTech) as a practical solution to post-pandemic physical inactivity.

METHODS

This study was conducted over a 12-week period, from September to December 2024, with 40 students (grades 4 to 6) from an elementary school located in a mid-sized city in South Korea. The participants had a mean age of 10.8 years (SD = 0.69). The experimental group (n = 20) participated in the AI-FIT program, while the control group (n = 20) received regular physical education classes. To ensure baseline equivalence between the groups, propensity score matching was employed. Health-related physical fitness was assessed through pre- and post-tests, including flexibility, muscular endurance, cardiorespiratory endurance, explosive power, and Physical Activity Promotion System (PAPS) grade. Analyses were conducted using both dependent (paired) and independent -tests, along with effect size calculations (Cohen's ), to examine within-group and between-group differences. In addition, gender-based subgroup analyses were performed to examine potential differences in responsiveness to the intervention.

INTERVENTION

Results indicated that the AI-FIT program had a large effect on flexibility ( = 0.90) and muscular endurance ( = 0.80) and a moderate-to-large effect on PAPS grade ( = 0.69). In contrast, no statistically significant improvements were observed in cardiorespiratory endurance or explosive power.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that a digital program integrating AI-based personalized exercise prescriptions and gamification elements can effectively enhance the health-related fitness of elementary students. Moreover, this study supports the educational efficacy of EdTech-based interventions in physical education settings.