Authier, Erica Lynn
(2009)
EVALUATING THE IMPACT OF EXERGAMING ON THE EXERCISE BEHAVIOROF PERSONS WITH SPINAL CORD INJURIES.
Master's Thesis, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
Individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCI) are at increased risk for cardiopulmonary andcardiovascular disease. The GameCycleTM exercise system integrates arm-ergometry and videogaming with the goal of providing a fun and motivational exercise platform. For this thesisresearch, two studies were conducted to evaluate the design of the GameCycleTM and its efficacyas an exercise platform.The objective of the first study was to teach subjects how to safely and effectively usethe GameCycleTM, to determine if subjects are able to learn how to operate the GameCycleTM inan acceptable time period, to learn whether they are able to reach their target heart rate zoneusing the GameCycleTM, and to obtain feedback from new users regarding features of the newsystem. Participants included 14 subjects with SCI (11 men and 3 women, 37.5 +/- 6.5 years).Subjects were trained to use the GameCycleTM and were required to complete a timeddemonstration. Metabolic data were collected over a 14 minute exercise bout while playing theGameCycleTM. All subjects were able to complete training successfully and 12 (86%) of thesubjects were able to reach their target heart rate zones. All of the participants conveyed that the GameCycleTM was easy to learn, operate, and has easily adjustable settings to suit their needs. 86% of participants found the GameCycleTM to be enjoyable and that it was likely motivatemanual wheelchair users to exercise regularly. This study indicates that the GameCycleTM iseasy to use and confirms previous findings that aerobic training zones can be reached.The goal of the In-home Phase was to evaluate the effectiveness of the GameCycleTM ascompared to standard ergometry. Nine persons with SCI (1 woman, 8 men, 36.2 +/- 5.5 years)completed a four-month in-home trial in which they were asked to exercise with theGameCycleTM for two months and a standard arm-ergometer for two months. Results indicatethat subjects exercised for significantly longer durations (p=0.035) with the GameCycleTM. Thissuggests that the GameCycleTM is more enjoyable and will increase exercise dosage for longtermexercise compares to standard arm-ergometry.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
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| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
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| ETD Committee: |
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| Date: |
28 January 2009 |
| Date Type: |
Completion |
| Defense Date: |
24 April 2007 |
| Approval Date: |
28 January 2009 |
| Submission Date: |
2 December 2008 |
| Access Restriction: |
5 year -- Restrict access to University of Pittsburgh for a period of 5 years. |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
Swanson School of Engineering > Bioengineering |
| Degree: |
MSBeng - Master of Science in Bioengineering |
| Thesis Type: |
Master's Thesis |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
Disability; Gaming; Physical Activity |
| Other ID: |
http://etd.library.pitt.edu/ETD/available/etd-12022008-101144/, etd-12022008-101144 |
| Date Deposited: |
10 Nov 2011 20:07 |
| Last Modified: |
15 Nov 2016 13:52 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/9959 |
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