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The Physical Activity Patterns of Greenway Users Playing Pokémon Go: A Natural Experiment

2018; Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.; Volume: 8; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1089/g4h.2017.0168

2161-7856

Colby Beach, Gabrielle Billstrom, Elizabeth Anderson Steeves, Jennifer Flynn, Jeremy A. Steeves,

Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet

The aim of the study was to compare objectively measured physical activity (PA) between greenway users playing and not playing Pokémon Go.A sample of 100 participants walking on a greenway wore an Omron pedometer and ActiGraph accelerometer and provided demographic data through an intercept survey during a natural experiment. Mann-Whitney U tests and multiple regression compared greenway PA variables between Pokémon Go (n = 13) and non-Pokémon Go (n = 87).Pokémon Go users were significantly younger (P < 0.01) than non-Pokémon Go users. Despite no differences in greenway walking time (42 ± 18 minutes), Pokémon Go users took fewer aerobic steps (2361 ± 1663 steps vs. 4144 ± 2591 steps; P = 0.03), walked shorter distances (1.38 ± 0.68 miles vs. 1.98 ± 1.05 miles; P = 0.049), burned fewer calories (119 ± 79 kcal vs. 202 ± 158 kcal; P = 0.04), spent more time in sedentary (16% ± 12% vs. 2% ± 7%; P < 0.01) and light (29% ± 24% vs. 15% ± 21%; P < 0.01) intensity activity, less time in moderate (52% ± 30% vs. 71 ± 29%; P = 0.02) and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) (55% ± 29% vs. 82% ± 23%; P < 0.01), and took fewer steps/min (67 ± 24 steps/min vs. 103 ± 23 steps/min; P < 0.01) than non-Pokémon Go users. Pokémon Go step rate rarely exceeded 100 steps/min for >5 minutes at a time. Multiple regression confirmed differences in sedentary, light, vigorous, MVPA, and steps/min between Pokémon Go and non-Pokémon Go users after controlling for covariates (P < 0.05). Age was significantly positively associated with aerobic steps, steps, walking distance and time, more light, but less vigorous, and MVPA (P < 0.05).While playing Pokémon Go greenway users are likely stopping more and walking at a slower pace than walkers not playing Pokémon Go.