The Effectiveness of an Exergame-based Intervention

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Regular Training in the ExerCube - A Randomized Controlled Trial

This randomized control trial aims to compare the effects of a regular exergame-based intervention and a regular moderate-intensity endurance exercise in healthy individuals. The main questions it aims to answer are:

• Is regular exergame-based training an effective intervention to improve different health and performance parameters in healthy adults? Can the exergaming intervention improve health and performance parameters similar to a moderate-intensity endurance exercise intervention? Throughout the intervention period (8 weeks), participants will participate in regular training sessions (3x/week) in an exergame called the ExerCube.

Researchers will compare the effects to a control group who participates in regular (3x/week) moderate-intensity endurance exercise to see if the exergaming intervention induces similar effects on health and performance parameters.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Blood Pressure; Physical Inactivity
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Exergame Intervention; Behavioral: Moderate-intensity endurance exercise

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 43
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Switzerland
  • Bern, Switzerland, 3012
    • University of Bern

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 60 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Healthy female and male adults
• Aged 18-60 years
• Free from acute and chronic diseases
• Free from movement restrictions or injuries to the musculoskeletal system
• Provided written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• Underlying health condition that could compromise the safety of the physical exercise
• Were taking cardiovascular medications

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Exergame Intervention; 8-week exergame-based intervention consisting of 3 sessions per week lasting between 20-40 Minutes. The intervention will consist of playing the game Sphery racer in the exergame called ExerCube.	Behavioral: Exergame Intervention; 8-week exergame-based intervention 3x per week
Active Comparator: Moderate-intensity endurance exercise; 8-week moderate-intensity endurance exercise consisting of 3 sessions per week lasting between 20-40 minutes. The intervention will consist of a running exercise on a treadmill or riding on a bicycle ergometer.	Behavioral: Moderate-intensity endurance exercise; 8-week moderate-intensity endurance exercise 3x per week

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Changes from baseline in maximum oxygen consumption at week 8	Maximum oxygen consumption will be obtained during a cardiopulmonary exercise test on a bicycle ergometer using a validated metabolic cart.	Baseline and week 8

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Changes from baseline in pulse wave velocity at week 8	Pulse wave velocity will be obtained non-invasively using a clinically validated device for hemodynamic measurements. After a 10 min supine rest, a minimum of two readings will be performed on the right upper arm using customized arm cuffs.	Baseline and week 8
Changes from baseline in systolic blood pressure at week 8	Systolic blood pressure will be obtained non-invasively using a clinically validated device for hemodynamic measurements. After a 10 min supine rest, a minimum of two readings will be performed on the right upper arm using customized arm cuffs.	Baseline and week 8
Changes from baseline in diastolic blood pressure at week 8	Diastolic blood pressure will be obtained non-invasively using a clinically validated device for hemodynamic measurements. After a 10 min supine rest, a minimum of two readings will be performed on the right upper arm using customized arm cuffs.	Baseline and week 8
Changes from baseline in lifting biomechanics, measured by the sagittal curvature angle of the lumbar spine	The sagittal curvature angle of the lumbar spine will be used to assess lumbar spine posture during lifting. It will be derived from kinematic recordings obtained using a skin marker-based motion capture system during standardized box-lifting tasks. Higher values will indicate greater lumbar flexion, reflecting a more rounded lumbar posture, whereas lower values will indicate a more upright or extended lumbar posture. Changes from baseline will be used to evaluate adaptations in lumbar movement strategy during lifting.	Baseline and week 8
Changes from baseline in lifting biomechanics, measured by the Stoop-Squat Index	The Stoop-Squat Index will be used to quantify the relative contribution of trunk and knee motion during lifting, positioning the lifting strategy along a continuum from stoop-dominant to squat-dominant movement patterns. It will be calculated from kinematic data obtained using a skin marker-based motion capture system during standardized box-lifting tasks. Higher values will indicate a more stoop-dominant lifting strategy, characterized by greater trunk flexion and less knee flexion, whereas lower values will reflect a more squat-dominant lifting strategy. Changes from baseline will be used to evaluate adaptations in lifting technique.	Baseline and week 8
Changes from baseline in pain-related fear, measured by the Photograph Series of Daily Activities - Short Electronic Version (PHODA-SeV; capturing task-specific pain-related fear)	The PHODA-SeV will be used to assess task-specific pain-related fear. This validated, image-based questionnaire presents participants with 40 daily activities, which they will rate in terms of perceived harmfulness using a numerical rating scale from 0 to 100. A score of 0 will indicate "not harmful," and a score of 100 will indicate "extremely harmful." Higher scores will indicate greater perceived threat or fear associated with specific activities, whereas lower scores will indicate less task-specific pain-related fear. Changes from baseline will be used to evaluate changes in task-specific pain-related fear.	Baseline and week 8
Changes from baseline in pain-related fear, measured by the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK; capturing general pain-related fear)	The Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia will be used to assess general fear of movement and fear of pain-related injury or reinjury. The 17-item version of the questionnaire will be administered, with each item rated on a 4-point Likert scale. Item scores will be summed to calculate a total score ranging from 17 to 68. Higher scores will indicate greater pain-related fear, whereas lower scores will indicate less pain-related fear. Changes from baseline will be used to evaluate changes in general pain-related fear.	Baseline and week 8

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Changes from baseline in body mass index at week 8	Body mass index (BMI) will be assessed as a measure of body mass relative to height. Body mass (in kilogramm) will be measured using a calibrated scale with participants wearing light clothing and no shoes. Height (in meters) will be measured using a stadiometer with participants standing upright without shoes. BMI will be calculated as body mass in kilograms divided by height in meters squared (kg/m²).	Baseline and week 8

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Bern
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Sascha Ketelhut, Dr., University of Bern

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 1, 2023
• Primary Completion (Actual): January 1, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): February 1, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 25, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 25, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): February 3, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 13, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 7, 2026
• Last Verified: May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Exercise; Blood pressure; Pulse wave analysis; Exergaming; Endurance performance
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavior; Motor Activity; Sedentary Behavior
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2021-03-00006

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: The data will be made available upon reasonable request from the principal investigator.
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: After the intervention is over and all data is obtained.
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: Reasonable request .
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL; ICF; CSR

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No