Mobile game based physical activity game for improving depression score and fitness factors: a 4-week intervention (Preprint)

Abstract

Physical activity has been shown to correlate with mental health and reduce symptoms of depression. However, the majority of research only focuses on the effects of either aerobic or non-aerobic exercise while novel technological innovations like mobile phone based activity programs and their effects are underrepresented. Additionally, for exercise prescription to be more effective in improving cognition and emotion it is important to know more about how the exercise affects our movement patterns and characteristics.

The study had two objectives: (1) to examine how a mobile phone-based exercise program can affect depression score, and (2) to investigate the effect on participants’ fitness level and their in-game movement characteristics.

A total of 31 participants were included and divided into an exercise (n=21) and control group (n=10). The exercise group was instructed to use a mobile phone-based exercise program 5 times per week for 4 weeks. Pre and post exercise the participant’s depression score (CES-10-D, PHQ9), fitness level (YMCA, grip strength) and in-game kinematics (postural sway, movement ROM, movement speeds, etc.) for three Azure Kinect physical activity games based on different fitness factors (balance game, cardiovascular game, reaction game) were measured.

Repeated measures ANOVA showed significant differences between pre and post for the depression scores PHQ9 and CES-10-D for both exercise and control group. For the in-game kinematics, there were significant interactions between the treatment according to time, with an increase in body sway and vertical head movement in the cardiovascular game during jogging for the group that participated in the exercise. Additionally, the participants in the exercise group showed a reduced number of mistakes in the reaction game. There were no other significant differences for the other variables.

The data suggests that a 20 minute mobile-phone based intervention can reduce depression score and it affects in-game movement characteristics (body sway, vertical head movement, attentional focus) and is therefore a promising option in complementary treatment for depressive disorders.

IRB number HYUIRB-202203-010-1