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The purpose of the study is to test the effects of different versions of active video games (AVGs) on body composition, cardiometabolic risks, and cognitive functions among overweight/obese children over 6 months.
The study aims to explore the effects of narrative-enhanced AVG on (1) body composition, (2) cardiometabolic risks, and (3) cognitive functioning among overweight/obese 8-12 years old children over 6 months.
A total of 210 children will be recruited from Tufts Floating Hospital, Boston Children's Hospital, and Martha Eliot Health Center. The investigators divided the participants into three groups to evaluate the effect of using active game consoles and stories to motivate children to exercise: A third of them have standard clinical care only; a third of them have the same standard clinical care plus an Xbox and active games; the remaining third of them have the same standard clinical care, an Xbox and active games, plus the stories delivered to their Xbox consoles.
Each child, accompanied by their guardian, will be asked to visit the Northeastern University Exercise Science Laboratory over the 6-month period. Blood samples, body composition (using Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, or DEXA Scan), and cognitive and affective evaluations of the active video games (AVGs) will be collected. Additionally, parents will be asked to fill out questionnaires related to their child's physical activity behaviors. Children would also be required to wear two accelerometers (essentially, a "smart watch" or activity tracker) on their wrist and waist for 7 consecutive days after the three visits within the 6 months.
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| Label | Type | Description | Intervention Names |
|---|---|---|---|
| Care Only | Active Comparator | A third of the participants will have standard clinical care only. |
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| Care + AVG | Experimental | A third of the participants will have the same standard clinical care plus an Xbox and active games. |
|
| Care + AVG + Narratives | Experimental | A third of the participants will have the same standard clinical care, an Xbox and active games, plus the stories delivered to their Xbox consoles. |
|
| Name | Type | Description | Arm Group Labels | Other Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xbox / active video games | Behavioral | The investigators would expect children to play active video games as a way to reduce their sedentary activities and increase their moderate and vigorous physical activities. |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Changes in objective child physical activity | Physical activity will be measured with two 7-day accelerometer worn on the wrist and hip after three visits over 4-6 weeks, including minutes/day MVPA total. Physical activity and time spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity will be measured by two triaxial accelerometer (Actigraph Link and Actigraph GT3X+, Actigraph, Ft. Walton Beach, FL). Children will be asked to wear them for 7 full days during periods. | 6 months |
| Changes in fat% | Measured through dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scan by GE Lunar Prodigy (GE Healthcare, Chicago, IL). | 6 months |
| Changes in lean tissue% | Measured through dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scan by GE Lunar Prodigy (GE Healthcare, Chicago, IL). | 6 months |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| BMI% | The investigators plan to use the weight in kilograms and height in meters from the DEXA scan and children's birthdays and sex to calculate their BMI% using the CDC Calculator. | 6 months |
| Fasting Insulin |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Sustained Attention | Response time will be measured by the Psychomotor Vigilance Task | 6 months |
| Working Memory | Response time will be measured by the Delayed Match-to-Sample Task |
Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
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| Facility | Status | City | State | ZIP | Country | Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northeastern University | Boston | Massachusetts | 02115 | United States |
| PubMed Identifier | Type | Citation | Retractions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40420195 | Derived | Lu AS, Baranowski T, Barreira TV, Fleischman A, Green MC, Huang SY, Lee IM, Levitsky LL, Noubary F, Thompson D. The impact of narratives and active video games among black and hispanic children with overweight and obesity: a randomized controlled trial. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2025 May 26;22(1):60. doi: 10.1186/s12966-025-01756-1. |
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| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D009043 | Motor Activity |
| D033262 | Narration |
| D063766 | Pediatric Obesity |
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D001519 | Behavior |
| D003142 | Communication |
| D009765 | Obesity |
| D050177 | Overweight |
| D044343 |
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Participants will be informed of their group at the conclusion of the study.
| Animated cartoon narratives | Behavioral | The investigators would expect the animated cartoon narratives to motivate children to play more active video games as a way to reduce their sedentary activities and increase their moderate and vigorous physical activities. |
|
| Standard clinical care | Behavioral | Each clinic will provide standard clinical care to the participants. |
|
Analysis of the plasma samples will be performed using dedicated Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) kits.
| 6 months |
| Fasting Glucose | Analysis of the plasma samples will be performed using dedicated Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) kits. | 6 months |
| Lipid | Analysis of the serum samples will be performed using dedicated Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) kits. | 6 months |
| C-reactive protein (CRP) | Analysis of the serum samples will be performed using dedicated Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) kits. | 6 months |
| 6 months |
| Working Memory | Response accuracy will be measured by the Delayed Match-to-Sample Task | 6 months |
| Inhibitory Control | Response time will be measured by the Stroop Test | 6 months |
| Inhibitory Control | Response accuracy will be measured by the Stroop Test | 6 months |
| Physical Activity Motivation | Physical Activity Motivation will be measured by the Physical Activity Motivation scale through self-report | 6 months |
| Overnutrition |
| D009748 | Nutrition Disorders |
| D009750 | Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases |
| D001835 | Body Weight |
| D012816 | Signs and Symptoms |
| D013568 | Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms |