The Association of Exergaming and other Activities with the WHO Physical Activity Recommendations among Female Adolescents in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

This cross-sectional study examined the association of the number of hours of exergaming along with other activities and body mass index (BMI) among Saudi female adolescents and explored the possibility of exergaming as an alternative to meet the World Health Organization (WHO) physical activity recommendations. A sample of 200 female students age 10-14 years completed a self-administered lifestyle questionnaire with their parents' assistance after obtaining parental consent letter. The survey instrument included scales adopted from the validated Adolescent Sedentary Activity Questionnaire (ASAQ) and modified to include questions for exergaming. Anthropometric measurements of height and weight were conducted at school after the completion of the survey. A multiple linear regression model was conducted to examine the association of exergaming with other sedentary activities and BMI. There was a significant association between the number of hours of exergaming and lower BMI (p<0.001). Moreover, there was a significant difference between both groups with 98% of the exergamers accumulating ≥60 minutes of physical activity daily vs. 0% among non-exergamers (p<0.001). Exergaming may contribute to reducing sedentary behaviors and increasing physical activity levels and could be an alternative solution to aid in meeting the WHO daily recommendation of physical activities for Saudi girls.