Zusammenfassung

Aim: Investigate variation in step and amount of movements in older adults playing step-based exergames. Design: Experimental cross-sectional study. Material: To different studies were performed. In study 1, 20 independent-living older adults ((75.7±5.4 years, 12 women) participated, and in study 2 16 independent-living older 76.5±4.5 years, 8 women) adults and 16 young adults (25±2.1 years, 8 women) participated. Methods: In study 1, participants played 2 step-based exergames, the specially designed game The Mole, and the commercial game LightRace, on 2 difficulty levels. Step and upper-body movements were registered with a 3D-motion capture system. In study 2 all participants played The Mole on 3 difficulty levels. Three tri-axial accelerometers were used to evaluate step and upper-body movements. Results: Older adults had more variation in step movements and greater amount of movement when playing The Mole compared to LightRace. Playing the difficult level of The Mole, older adults displayed less movements compared to easy and medium levels (all p´s>.02), while the young adults had no differences in amount of movements displayed within the three levels. Conclusion: This study illustrates the importance of evaluating the movement’s different exergames and levels within the games prompt when using exergames in exercise and rehabilitation setting.