Heart failure patients who were given instructions on how to use a Nintendo Wii device improved their exercise capacity and quality of life more than counterparts who were simply advised to exercise 30 minutes per day.
Playing the Wii may involve standing in front of a TV set and playing virtual tennis or mimicking true bowling form to send the virtual ball down the lane. Principal investigator Tiny Jaarsma, PhD, and colleagues used the term “exergaming” to describe these video games which involve physical exertion.
In their study, which was presented May 27 at the European Society of Cardiology’s World Congress on Acute Heart Failure, 605 patients with heart failure were randomized to either an exergaming intervention or standard exercise advice. After three months, those who were instructed to play the Wii for 30 minutes per day could walk 33 meters farther on average in a six-minute walk test than those who were told to be physically active for 30 minutes per day.
In addition, the exergamers showed a significantly greater improvement versus the control group in a quality-of-life questionnaire, which was administered at baseline and three months after randomization. The exergamers also showed greater improvement on assessments of anxiety and depression, but those two factors didn’t reach statistical significance.
“We think quality of life improved with exergaming because patients could walk further and do more activities around the house with those meters gained,” Jaarsma said in a press release. “Patients also told us they felt more included socially. They often played the game with friends, their spouse, or grandchildren.”
The researchers found the number of minutes playing the device didn’t result in greater walking distance, possibly because those healthy enough to play for longer durations had less room for improvement. But all patients—no matter how sick—showed gains in the walking test after three months of exergaming.
“Exercise is recommended for all patients with heart failure but many don’t do it because they feel too tired to go out, the weather is too bad, or they’re not motivated,” Jaarsma said. “Exergaming is an ideal option for some patients.”
Daniel joined TriMed’s Chicago editorial team in 2017 as a Cardiovascular Business writer. He previously worked as a writer for daily newspapers in North Dakota and Indiana.