Intervenção para o controle do peso corporal de adolescentes, utilizando videogames ativos: um estudo piloto

Intervention for the control of body weight in adolescents using active video games: a pilot study. Intervention strategies that use exergames that aim to stimulate the practice of physical activity, as well as the reduction of the time in sedentary behavior, through promising ways to deal with the increase of obesity rates. This is the way of Extension Project “Exergaming for health: intervention for the control of body weight in adolescents using active video games”, with fomentation of MEC/PROEXT in 2013. The aim of this study was to verify the effect of an eight-week intervention with active video games on variables related to adolescent body weight. An eight-week intervention study with a duration of 60 minutes per session, with use of exergames was performed. Eight schoolchildren participated, with mean age of 11.5±0.5 years. Anthropometric measures before and after the intervention were performed. Descriptive statistics and the non-parametric equivalent of paired t-test were used in SPSS 20.0 with significance level of p<0.05. It was observed that there was a significant difference only in waist circumference (cm) with a reduction of 2.8 cm (p = 0.028). The other variables analyzed were not different. The pilot study of an eight-week intervention with active videogames demonstrated the possibility of reducing anthropometric measures, such as the waist circumference of adolescents. We suggested that new studies with exergames focus on this outcome over a longer period of intervention and/or with a larger number of sEstratégias de intervenção que utilizam exergames que visam o estímulo à prática de atividade física, bem como à redução do tempo em comportamento sedentário, parecem ser caminhos promissores para lidar com o aumento das taxas de obesidade. Este foi o intuito do Projeto de Extensão “Exergaming para a saúde: intervenção para o controle do peso corporal em adolescentes utilizando videogames ativos”, contemplado com fomento do MEC/PROEXT no ano de 2013. O objetivo do estudo foi verificar o efeito de uma intervenção de oito semanas com videogames ativos sobre variáveis relacionadas ao peso corporal de adolescentes. Foi realizado um estudo piloto de intervenção de oito semanas com duração de 60 minutos por sessão, com uso dos exergames. Participaram do estudo oito escolares, com média de idade de 11,5±0,5 anos. Medidas antropométricas antes e após a intervenção foram realizadas. Utilizou-se a estatística descritiva e o teste t pareado, no SPSS 20.0 com nível de significância de p