The effects of a daily, 6-week exergaming curriculum on balance in fourth grade children

Abstract Balance is an essential component of movement and is critical in the ability to participate in physical activity. Developing an exergaming curriculum for schools has the potential to improve balance or postural stability in children. In this study, a purposely-built exergaming center in an elementary school was used to test fourth grade students with a specially designed exergaming curriculum oriented toward improving postural stability. The program was implemented over a 6-week period, 34 min per day, 4–5 days per week. Two control groups were used: (1) a physical education (PE) class geared toward agility, balance, and coordination (ABC) improvement, and (2) a typical PE curriculum class. Exergaming students improved their postural stability significantly over a 6-week period compared to those in the typical PE class. Improvements in postural stability were also evident in the ABC class. Postural stability in the girls was better than the boys in all pre- and post-intervention tests. This study demonstrates that exergaming is a practical resource in the PE class to improve postural stability.

[1]  D. Claxton,et al.  A Question of Balance , 2006 .

[2]  F. Figura,et al.  Assessment of static balance in children. , 1991, The Journal of sports medicine and physical fitness.

[3]  B. Fernhall,et al.  Evaluation of the Energy Cost of Playing a Dance Simulation Video Game in Overweight and Non-Overweight Children and Adolescents , 2005, International journal of sports medicine.

[4]  C. Brahler,et al.  The Effect of Yoga Postures on Balance, Flexibility, and Strength in Healthy High School Females , 2010 .

[5]  A. Okely,et al.  Mastery of fundamental movement skills among children in New South Wales: prevalence and sociodemographic distribution. , 2004, Journal of science and medicine in sport.

[6]  John J Reilly,et al.  Fundamental movement skills and habitual physical activity in young children. , 2005, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[7]  F. Horak.  Clinical measurement of postural control in adults. , 1987, Physical therapy.

[8]  K. Short,et al.  Playing Active Video Games Increases Energy Expenditure in Children , 2009, Pediatrics.

[9]  J. Birren,et al.  Standardization of two tests of equilibrium: the railwalking test and the ataxiagraph , 1945 .

[10]  R. Mellecker,et al.  Energy expenditure and cardiovascular responses to seated and active gaming in children. , 2008, Archives of pediatrics & adolescent medicine.

[11]  B. Rowe,et al.  Effectiveness of a home-based balance-training program in reducing sports-related injuries among healthy adolescents: a cluster randomized controlled trial , 2005, Canadian Medical Association Journal.

[12]  K. Curriculum.  Fundamental Movement Skills , 2006 .

[13]  Jane E. Clark,et al.  Static Balance in Young Children. , 1984 .

[14]  G. Chard.  International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health , 2004 .

[15]  Robert M Malina,et al.  Promoting physical activity in children and adolescents: a review. , 2008, Clinical journal of sport medicine : official journal of the Canadian Academy of Sport Medicine.

[16]  K. Pfeifer,et al.  Balance training for neuromuscular control and performance enhancement: a systematic review. , 2010, Journal of athletic training.

[17]  Michael L. Booth,et al.  Relationships between Body Composition and Fundamental Movement Skills among Children and Adolescents , 2004, Research quarterly for exercise and sport.

[18]  N. Cable,et al.  Comparison of energy expenditure in adolescents when playing new generation and sedentary computer games: cross sectional study , 2007, BMJ : British Medical Journal.

[19]  Del P. Wong,et al.  Gender Differences in Postural Stability Among Children , 2012, Journal of human kinetics.

[20]  Julie R Steele,et al.  Gender and age affect balance performance in primary school-aged children. , 2011, Journal of science and medicine in sport.

[21]  T. Rowland,et al.  Energy expenditure in adolescents playing new generation computer games , 2009 .

[22]  John Macleod,et al.  Balance ability of 7 and 10 year old children in the population: results from a large UK birth cohort study. , 2011, International journal of pediatric otorhinolaryngology.

[23]  J N Drowatzky,et al.  Interrelationships between selected measures of static and dynamic balance. , 1967, Research quarterly.

[24]  J. Levine,et al.  Energy Expenditure of Sedentary Screen Time Compared With Active Screen Time for Children , 2006, Pediatrics.

[25]  P. Richardson,et al.  Evaluation of postural stability in children: current theories and assessment tools. , 1997, Physical therapy.

[26]  P. J. Seymour,et al.  EFFECT OF SIX WEEKS OF DURA DISC AND MINI‐TRAMPOLINE BALANCE TRAINING ON POSTURAL SWAY IN ATHLETES WITH FUNCTIONAL ANKLE INSTABILITY , 2007, Journal of strength and conditioning research.

[27]  Greet Cardon,et al.  Static and dynamic standing balance: test-retest reliability and reference values in 9 to 10 year old children , 2006, European Journal of Pediatrics.

[28]  Ralph Maddison,et al.  Energy expended playing video console games: an opportunity to increase children's physical activity? , 2007, Pediatric exercise science.

[29]  James F Sallis,et al.  Childhood Movement Skills: Predictors of Physical Activity in Anglo American and Mexican American Adolescents? , 2002, Research quarterly for exercise and sport.

[30]  A. Gollhofer,et al.  Promoting Strength and Balance in Adolescents During Physical Education: Effects of a Short-Term Resistance Training , 2011, Journal of strength and conditioning research.

[31]  Ruth I. Bass,et al.  An Analysis of the Components of Tests of Semicircular Canal Function and of Static and Dynamic Balance , 1939 .

[32]  Inger Holm,et al.  Significant Effect of Gender on Hamstring-to-Quadriceps Strength Ratio and Static Balance in Prepubescent Children from 7 to 12 Years of Age , 2008, The American journal of sports medicine.

[33]  Brian E. Maki,et al.  Effect of a Perturbation-Based Balance Training Program on Compensatory Stepping and Grasping Reactions in Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial , 2010, Physical Therapy.

[34]  M. A. Sherman.  Graduate Study of Teaching and Teacher Education: A Problem-Solving Agenda for the PETE Professorate , 1987 .

[35]  A. Ross,et al.  The Effects of a Dance Movement Education Curriculum on Selected Psychomotor Skills of Children in Grades K-8. , 1989 .

[36]  Larry Katz,et al.  Intra-Rater and Inter-Rater Reliability of the Balance Error Scoring System in Pre-Adolescent School Children , 2011 .

[37]  Larry Katz,et al.  The Impact of a Six Week Exergaming Curriculum on Balance with Grade Three School Children using the Wii FIT+TM , 2012, Int. J. Comput. Sci. Sport.

[38]  Mitchell L Cordova,et al.  Six weeks of balance training improves sensorimotor function in individuals with chronic ankle instability. , 2011, The Journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapy.

[39]  Bill Preble.  Maine's Aspirations Movement: Reaching Out to Youth. , 1989 .

[40]  F. Horak,et al.  Assessing the Influence of Sensory Interaction on Balance , 1986 .