Author(s): COTTONE, R., DI MINICA, E., SCARDINA, A., LO DICO, F., GIUSTINO, V., TABACCHI, G., BIANCO, A., BELLAFIORE, M., Institution: UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI VERONA, Country: ITALY, Abstract-ID: 1291

Introduction: Scientific evidence has shown that exergames can enhance children's motivation and engagement, making them innovative and effective tools for promoting health and increasing physical activity levels in paediatric populations (1). The aim of this study is to assess the impact of a six-week exergame-based program on Gross Motor Coordination (GMC) in primary schoolers.
Methods: Thirty-eight children were randomly assigned to an intervention group (IG; n = 19; 8 girls; 7.73±0.45 years; 17.03±3.20 kg/m2), who executed an exergame-based program during curricular hours for six weeks, and a control group (CG; n = 19; 10 girls; 7.42±0.50 years; 17.78±2.83 kg/m2), who did not perform any physical activity. IG performed two 50-minute (min) sessions for week over six weeks. Each session included a 10-min warm up, a 10-min cool-down, and a 30-min central phase with motor skill sequences (running, jumping, maintaining balance and squatting) simulated by the exergame. This was structured across three progressive intensity levels (low, medium, high). Before the intervention, all children completed the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Children (PAQ-C) to evaluate their physical activity level. GMC was examined with KTK3+ test battery in both groups before (T0) and after (T2) a six-week period. Movement quality was assessed at three time points as T0, T1 (after 3 weeks) and T2 through a video analysis by two independent evaluators using an observation grid, based on 5-point Likert scale and specific criteria. Repeated measures ANOVA with age as a covariate was used to assess differences in jumping sideways (JS), moving sideways (MS), walking backwards (WB), hand-eye coordination (EHC), and motor quotient (MQ) within/between groups. The differences in motor skill qualitative items among T0, T1 and T2 in IG were analyzed with Friedman’s repeated measures ANOVA. The significance was set at p<.05.
Results: IG and CG were physically inactive at baseline, with no difference between groups (p=.751). Significantly higher scores of JS, MS and MQ were observed in IG than CG after the intervention (p<.001). IG showed a significant increase in JS, MS, WB and MQ after the intervention (p<.05), unlike CG. Movement quality analysis showed significant and progressive enhancements in fluidity, single-leg balance, endurance, running, vertical jump and squat abilities of IG, especially between T0 and T2.
Conclusion: Our exergame-based program appears to be effective in improving GMC performance and movement quality highlighting the potential of this tool as an impactful teaching strategy within school setting. These results support the integration of exergames into physical education to promote an active lifestyle in childhood.

(1) Wang M, Xu J, Zhou X, Li X, Zheng Y. Effectiveness of Gamification Interventions to Improve Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior in Children and Adolescents: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. JMIR Serious Games 2025;13:e68151