Search

The aim of this study was to determine the energy demand of one session of active video game (AVG) and its potential to reduce blood pressure (BP). Fourteen hypertensive (56.4±7.5 years) individuals performed sessions of AVG, a traditional sedentary video game sessions (SVG) and walking (WAL), as negative and positive controls, in a randomly determined order. Oxygen consumption and energy expenditure (EE) were measured during sessions. BP and cardiac autonomic modulation (CAM) were measured at rest and every 15 minutes of a 60-minute period of recovery from activities. A rating of enjoyment scale was also applied. AVG and WAL resulted in higher oxygen consumption (10.0±0.5 ml/kg/min and 16.6±3.1 ml/kg/min, respectively) and EE (3.5±0.2 kcal/min and 4.2±0.5 kcal/min) compared to 4.1±0.8 ml/kg/min and 1.4±0.1 kcal/min in SVG. A reduction in systolic and diastolic BP was evident following AVG sessions (-11.6±2.5 mmHg and -8.7±2.5 mmHg) and WAL (-10.8±2.8 mmHg and -8.6±2.3 mmHg) compared to pre-experiment value, and the same did not occur in SVG. All sessions promoted a feeling of enjoyment, with no difference between them. The parasympathetic activity was significantly lower at 30 and 45 minutes in post-WAL recovery (34.6±15.0 ms2 and 34.4±16.0 ms2) in the frequency domain (HF) in relation to both AVG (195.5±67.0 ms2 and 164.5±55.0 ms2) and the SVG (158.9±45.0 and 281.3±98.0 ms2). It is concluded that an AVG session promotes increased metabolic activity and is able to promote acute reduction of BP in hypertensive individuals similar to traditional walking exercise.

Introduction: The active video game (AVG) is an evolution of traditional video game (AVG) and its proposal to increase the physical activity level of the users of this form of entertainment. This physical demand could confer benefits similar to traditional exercise for hypertension, but the energy expenditure (EE) this game is not well established in this population. Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the potential of a AVG session to promote clinically significant increases EE in hypertensive. Material and Methods: The study included five hypertensive volunteers (55.6 ± 2.9 years) who underwent two sessions randomized, crossover (AVG and AVG) lasting 40 minutes on separate days. EE was measured by a gas exchange analyzer (K4b², Cosmed) and cardiovascular demand was measured by the heart rate (HR) through a heart rate monitor coupled to the gas analyzer. The student t test were performed unpaired and one way ANOVA with post test of Tukey. Results: The average intensity reached 21.9% of maximal heart rate in AVG session, statistically greater (p

Introduction: There have been reports on the use of the active video game (AVG) and the physiological demands imposed by its practice, in addition to its possible application in the therapeutic field. However, its effect on blood pressure (BP) remains unclear. Objective: Thus, we aimed to investigate the effectiveness of the AVG to promote post-exercise hypotension (PEH) in normotensive individuals. Material and Methods: Eight volunteers (24.5±2.3 years, 22.4±2.0 kg/m²) underwent three experimental sessions lasting 60 minutes: 1) AVG; 2) sedentary video game (SVG); and 3) aerobic treadmill exercise (AE). Heart rate (HR) was measured before and during the sessions, every 10 minutes. BP measurements were performed before and after the sessions, every 10 minutes for a 60-minute recovery period. The intensity reached in the AVG session was 21.9% of maximum heart rate (MHR), which is considered to be a low intensity when compared to the AE (73.2% of MHR). The PEH values obtained in the AVG session were similar to those of the AE session for systolic BP, in which the greatest reduction was found for AVG at 60 min (-10.5 ± 5.0 mmHg) and for AE at 40 min (-15.7 ± 3.5 mmHg) (p