Effects of home access to active videogames on child self-esteem, enjoyment of physical activity, and anxiety related to electronic games: results from a randomized controlled trial

Objective: Active-input videogames could provide a useful conduit for increasing physical activity by improving a child’s self-confidence, physical activity enjoyment, and reducing anxiety. Therefore this study evaluated the impact of (a) the removal of home access to traditional electronic games or...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Abbott, R., Smith, Anne, Howie, Erin, Pollock, Clare, Straker, Leon
Format: Journal Article
Published: Mary Ann Liebert, Inc Publishers 2014
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/20753
_version_ 1848750395929657344
author Abbott, R.
Smith, Anne
Howie, Erin
Pollock, Clare
Straker, Leon
author_facet Abbott, R.
Smith, Anne
Howie, Erin
Pollock, Clare
Straker, Leon
author_sort Abbott, R.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Objective: Active-input videogames could provide a useful conduit for increasing physical activity by improving a child’s self-confidence, physical activity enjoyment, and reducing anxiety. Therefore this study evaluated the impact of (a) the removal of home access to traditional electronic games or (b) their replacement with active-input videogames, on child self-perception, enjoyment of physical activity, and electronic game use anxiety. Subjects and Methods: This was a crossover, randomized controlled trial, conducted over a 6-month period in participants’ family homes in metropolitan Perth, Australia, from 2007 to 2010. Children 10–12 years old were recruited through school and community media. Of 210 children who were eligible, 74 met inclusion criteria, and 8 withdrew, leaving 66 children (33 girls) for analysis. A counterbalanced randomized order of three conditions sustained for 8 weeks each: No home access to electronic games, home access to traditional electronic games, and home access to active-input electronic games. Perception of self-esteem (Harter’s Self Perception Profile for Children), enjoyment of physical activity (Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale questionnaire), and anxiety toward electronic game use (modified Loyd and Gressard Computer Anxiety Subscale) were assessed. Results: Compared with home access to traditional electronic games, neither removal of all electronic games nor replacement with active-input games resulted in any significant change to child self-esteem, enjoyment of physical activity, or anxiety related to electronic games. Conclusions: Although active-input videogames have been shown to be enjoyable in the short term, their ability to impact on psychological outcomes is yet to be established.
first_indexed 2025-11-14T07:36:09Z
format Journal Article
id curtin-20.500.11937-20753
institution Curtin University Malaysia
institution_category Local University
last_indexed 2025-11-14T07:36:09Z
publishDate 2014
publisher Mary Ann Liebert, Inc Publishers
recordtype eprints
repository_type Digital Repository
spelling curtin-20.500.11937-207532017-09-13T13:50:23Z Effects of home access to active videogames on child self-esteem, enjoyment of physical activity, and anxiety related to electronic games: results from a randomized controlled trial Abbott, R. Smith, Anne Howie, Erin Pollock, Clare Straker, Leon Objective: Active-input videogames could provide a useful conduit for increasing physical activity by improving a child’s self-confidence, physical activity enjoyment, and reducing anxiety. Therefore this study evaluated the impact of (a) the removal of home access to traditional electronic games or (b) their replacement with active-input videogames, on child self-perception, enjoyment of physical activity, and electronic game use anxiety. Subjects and Methods: This was a crossover, randomized controlled trial, conducted over a 6-month period in participants’ family homes in metropolitan Perth, Australia, from 2007 to 2010. Children 10–12 years old were recruited through school and community media. Of 210 children who were eligible, 74 met inclusion criteria, and 8 withdrew, leaving 66 children (33 girls) for analysis. A counterbalanced randomized order of three conditions sustained for 8 weeks each: No home access to electronic games, home access to traditional electronic games, and home access to active-input electronic games. Perception of self-esteem (Harter’s Self Perception Profile for Children), enjoyment of physical activity (Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale questionnaire), and anxiety toward electronic game use (modified Loyd and Gressard Computer Anxiety Subscale) were assessed. Results: Compared with home access to traditional electronic games, neither removal of all electronic games nor replacement with active-input games resulted in any significant change to child self-esteem, enjoyment of physical activity, or anxiety related to electronic games. Conclusions: Although active-input videogames have been shown to be enjoyable in the short term, their ability to impact on psychological outcomes is yet to be established. 2014 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/20753 10.1089/g4h.2013.0090 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc Publishers fulltext
spellingShingle Abbott, R.
Smith, Anne
Howie, Erin
Pollock, Clare
Straker, Leon
Effects of home access to active videogames on child self-esteem, enjoyment of physical activity, and anxiety related to electronic games: results from a randomized controlled trial
title Effects of home access to active videogames on child self-esteem, enjoyment of physical activity, and anxiety related to electronic games: results from a randomized controlled trial
title_full Effects of home access to active videogames on child self-esteem, enjoyment of physical activity, and anxiety related to electronic games: results from a randomized controlled trial
title_fullStr Effects of home access to active videogames on child self-esteem, enjoyment of physical activity, and anxiety related to electronic games: results from a randomized controlled trial
title_full_unstemmed Effects of home access to active videogames on child self-esteem, enjoyment of physical activity, and anxiety related to electronic games: results from a randomized controlled trial
title_short Effects of home access to active videogames on child self-esteem, enjoyment of physical activity, and anxiety related to electronic games: results from a randomized controlled trial
title_sort effects of home access to active videogames on child self-esteem, enjoyment of physical activity, and anxiety related to electronic games: results from a randomized controlled trial
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/20753