Objectives eSport is a form of electronic gaming, also known as professional or competitive video gaming, and is growing at a rapid pace worldwide. Over 50 US colleges have established varsity gaming teams over the past three years; some colleges offer eSport scholarships as they do for traditional sports. There is little objective research on the health habits of these players who are often placed under the direction of the athletics department on college campuses, and there is currently no health management model on how to treat these new athletes. Methods Anonymous electronic surveys were sent to 65 collegiate eSport players from nine universities across the USA and Canada inquiring about gaming and lifestyle habits, and musculoskeletal complaints due to eSport competition. Results Players practiced between 3 and 10 hours per day. The most frequently reported complaint was eye fatigue (56%), followed by neck and back pain (42%). eSport athletes reported wrist pain (36%) and hand pain (32%). Forty per cent of participants do not participate in any form of physical exercise. Among the players surveyed, only 2% had sought medical attention. Conclusion eSport players, just like athletes in traditional sports, are susceptible to overuse injuries. The most common complaint was eye fatigue, followed by neck and back pain. This study shows eSport athletes are also prone to wrist and hand pain. This paper proposes a health management model that offers a comprehensive medical team approach to prevent and treat eSport athletes.

Esports players, like traditional athletes, practice for long hours and, thus, are vulnerable to the negative health effects of prolonged sitting. There is a lack of research on the physical activity and the health ramifications of prolonged sitting by competitive players. The purpose of this study was to investigate activity levels, body mass index (BMI), and body composition in collegiate esports players as compared to age-matched controls. Twenty-four male collegiate esports players and non-esports players between 18 and 25 years of age signed a written consent to participate. Physical activity was examined using daily activity (step count) with a wrist-worn activity tracker. A questionnaire assessing physical activity was also administered. Secondary outcomes included body-fat percentage, lean-body mass, BMI, and bone mineral content measured using dual X-ray absorptiometry. The step count in the esports players was significantly lower than the age-matched controls (6040.2 ± 3028.6 vs. 12843.8 ± 5661.1; p = 0.004). Esports players exhibited greater body-fat percentage (p = 0.05), less lean body mass (p = 0.003), and less bone mineral content (p = 0.03), despite no difference in BMI between the esports and non-esports players. As compared to non-esports players, collegiate esports players were significantly less active and had a higher body-fat percentage, with lower lean body mass and bone mineral content. The BMIs showed no difference between the 2 groups. Esports athletes displayed significantly less activity and poor body composition, which are all correlated with potential health issues and risk of injury. BMI did not capture this difference and should not be considered as an accurate measure of health in competitive esports players.

Objective The effect of prolonged sitting on executive function and performance in competitive esports players are unknown. This study aimed to evaluate executive function following a 6 min bout of walking or rest during prolonged gaming in competitive esports players. Methods 12 men and 9 women completed three separate 2-hour gaming session days assigned in randomised order consisting of a 6 min walk break, 6 min rest break and continuous before and after each session. Postintervention participant exit survey data were also collected. Results The walk condition produced a significantly faster mean solution time (7613.6±3060.5 min, p=0.02) and planning time (5369.0±2802.09, p=0.04) compared with the resting condition (9477±3547.4; 6924±3247.7) and continuous play (8200.0±3031.6; 5862.7±2860.7). The rest condition resulted in the slowest mean solution time (9477.0±3547.4) and planning time (6924.0±3247.7), with the continuous play resulting in a faster mean solution time (8200.1±3031.6) and planning time (5862.7±2860.7) than the rest condition. There was no impact on game performance in any of the conditions. However, over 70% of participants felt that the walk break improved esports performance. Conclusions Reducing sit time and breaking up prolonged sitting have acute and chronic health benefits. This study provides evidence that a 6 min walking break in the middle of 2 hours of gameplay allows gamers to have these health benefits while improving processing speed and executive function. Trial registration number NCT04674436.

This study examined the use of activity trackers alone or combined with weekly communication through email to improve activity and body composition over one academic year in medical students. This randomized clinical trial conducted at the New York Institute of Technology from July 7, 2016 through June 4, 2017 enrolled 120 medical students. The first group (Fitbit-Plus) wore activity trackers and received weekly emails offering fitness challenges and lifestyle modification challenges. The second group (Fitbit-Only) received only activity trackers and did not receive weekly emails. The third group (Control) was asked not to purchase an activity tracker of any kind throughout the study. All groups had a body composition analysis prior to the start of the academic year and at the end of the first academic year. Outcome measures included step count and body composition (body fat percentage and lean body mass). The results showed the overall mean daily steps were greater in the Fitbit-Plus group than the Fitbit-Only group for the academic year (7429 ± 2833 vs. 6483 ± 2359) with only months April and May showing a significant difference between the groups (p = 0.011; p = 0.044). Body fat percentage decreased in the Fitbit-Plus overweight women (2.1 ± 1.6%) lean body mass increased in the Fitbit-Plus group in overweight men (2.4 ± 4.6 lbs.). A subsequent finding of this study showed improved body composition in a small sub-group of over-weight students. Weekly behavioral challenges combined with an activity tracker increased step count in medical students compared to an activity tracker alone. Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT02778009.