Objective: Studies investigating the effects of exergaming in available platforms are still limited. This review aims to systematically identify available studies on physiological intensities of exergaming boxing in able-bodied adults and recategorize them based on different platforms or environments. The meta-analysis further analyzes the physiological responses during exergaming boxing into a set of pooled data for any evidence of outliers, heterogeneity, or publication bias. Materials and Methods: A systematic search was conducted by using databases from Google Scholar, PubMed, and Web of Science. Population, intervention, comparison, and outcomes (PICO) and preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were used in the study selection process for the review. Results: From the 1534 articles examined, 16 articles were included for further analyses. Results indicated that exergaming boxing exhibits a wide range of metabolic equivalent of task (MET) values and intensity, from very light to vigorous, with elements of heterogeneity and bias detected. The Xbox® Kinect boxing platform produced higher MET (mean = 5.3) compared with the Nintendo® Wii™ boxing (mean = 3.8). Conclusion: The results of this review suggest that boxing exergames can produce intensity-adequate physical activity among younger adults that are beneficial for cardiometabolic improvements, regardless of platforms used. Exergaming boxing may be employed as an effective exercise tool to increase energy expenditure and physical activity level in young adults.
Sleep deprivation and emotional problems such as stress, anxiety, and depression commonly occur in university students. Exercise is beneficial to ameliorate those problems; however, university students are not serious to take up physical activity. Commercially available exergame such as Xbox® 360 Kinect is one of the alternatives. This study aims at investigating the feasibility and the potential efficacy of using Xbox 360 Kinect game among health care undergraduate students. A pilot two-armed parallel randomized controlled trial was implemented. A total of 36 undergraduate students was recruited and randomly allocated into the intervention group (playing Xbox 360 Kinect) or the control group (continue with normal daily routine). The intervention group received 30 minutes of Xbox Kinect activity, three times per week for 6 weeks. Information on psychology (Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21) and sleep (Functional Outcome Sleep Questionnaire-30) status was collected at pre- and post-experiment. The researcher-developed feasibility questionnaire was given to the participants in the intervention group at post-experiment. Repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to investigate within-between group comparison, and significance value was set at p ≤ 0.05. The analysis found potential improvement on sleep (p = 0.039) and psychological health (p = 0.002-0.067). The intervention protocol is feasible and highly accepted by the participants. The required optimum amount of dosage, sample size, and the use of outcome measures are suggested from the findings. This pilot and feasibility study supports the use of Xbox 360 Kinect games in practice and to be implemented for future research.