Background: Sedentary behavior is highly prevalent among older adults, with adherence to exercise being a major challenge. Exercise offers substantial physical, psychological, and social benefits, but enjoyment is a key factor influencing adherence. Technology-based interventions have shown promise in enhancing motivation and participation, demonstrating higher adherence rates than conventional treatments, although challenges such as motivation loss and technological barriers persist. This review evaluates the effectiveness of active video game interventions on enjoyment and satisfaction in older adults. Objective: This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to determine whether active video games are superior to other interventions in generating greater enjoyment or satisfaction in older adults. Methods: PubMed, Cochrane, PEDro, SPORTDiscus, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Scopus databases were searched from inception to September 30, 2024, to identify randomized clinical trials or crossover studies. The primary outcome was enjoyment or satisfaction, assessed using various scales, including the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale, Intrinsic Motivation Inventory, User Satisfaction Questionnaire, and Likert-type scoring scales. Secondary outcomes included adherence rates and adverse effects. Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 tool was used to evaluate the risk of bias. Results: Five studies were included in the quantitative analysis. The results indicated a significant improvement in enjoyment or satisfaction compared to the control groups (standardized mean difference 0.34, 95% CI 0.05-0.64; P=.02; I²=24%), although the effect size was small. Secondary outcomes could not be analyzed due to insufficient data in the selected studies. Conclusions: Active video game interventions may improve enjoyment and satisfaction in older adults, but the evidence remains of low certainty.

Background: Population aging poses significant public health challenges. Older adults often face multimorbidity, functional decline, and diminished quality of life. While physical activity can mitigate these effects, adherence remains low. Immersive virtual reality (IVR) has emerged as a promising, engaging tool to promote physical and cognitive health in this population. Objective: The review aims to evaluate the effectiveness of IVR interventions lasting 4 weeks or more on quality of life, physical activity, pain, perceived effort, and adverse events in older adults. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted following PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) and Cochrane guidelines. Literature was searched across PubMed, Web of Science, PEDro, and Scopus, as well as sources of gray literature. Eligible studies included randomized controlled trials involving participants aged >60 years, using IVR via head-mounted display. Outcomes assessed included quality of life, physical activity, pain, perceived effort, and adverse events. Risk of bias and evidence certainty were assessed using Risk of Bias 2.0 and GRADE (Grades of Recommendation Assessment Development and Evaluation), respectively. Results: A total of 14 studies with 839 participants were included in the qualitative synthesis, of which 8 were eligible for quantitative meta-analysis. The pooled analysis showed a statistically significant moderate effect of IVR on quality of life (standardized mean difference [SMD]=0.48, 95% CI 0.1-0.8; P =.007), particularly in interventions lasting 10 to 12 weeks or involving more than 600 minutes of exposure. For physical activity, no significant differences were found between IVR and control groups (SMD=–0.2, 95% CI –0.7 to 0.4; P =.50). Evidence for secondary outcomes (pain, perceived exertion, and adverse events) was limited and largely qualitative, with inconsistent findings. Pain outcomes, assessed in 2 studies, indicated reductions in the IVR group, especially when multimodal approaches were used. Perceived effort was not systematically measured. Adverse events were generally mild, with cybersickness being the most reported issue. Conclusions: IVR interventions of 4 weeks or more appear to moderately improve quality of life in older adults, especially those with clinical vulnerabilities or in institutional settings. Although effects on physical activity were not significant, trends suggest potential with appropriate program design. Preliminary findings support IVR’s use in pain reduction, particularly when incorporating emotional and multisensory elements. The low incidence of adverse events suggests good tolerability. Overall, IVR is a promising and safe tool to support healthy aging, though further high-quality studies are needed to confirm these findings and assess long-term outcomes.

(1) Background: Growth in the use of video games has spurred innovations in the health sector, especially through exergames, which promote physical activity using interactive technologies like augmented reality. Exergames are shown to enhance exercise motivation and engagement, yet enjoyment remains inconsistent across studies. This pilot study aims to provide evidence on how different exergaming doses affect exercise heart rate, perceived exertion, adverse effects, and enjoyment in older adults. (2) Methods: A pilot randomized controlled trial was conducted to compare different doses of exercise through video games (13 vs. 28 min) in older adults living in a nursing home. A single bout of exergaming was provided to assess the outcomes: heart rate, rate of perceived exertion, physical activity enjoyment scale score, and adverse effects. (3) Results: Thirty-two older adults were recruited. This study revealed no significant differences in heart rate between groups (p = 0.1). There is a weak correlation between the rate of perceived exertion and the level of enjoyment (r_s = −0.193) and between the total time of the intervention and the incidence of adverse effects (r_s = 0.295). (4) Conclusions: The use of a higher dose of exergaming is effective in achieving moderate physical intensity. Also, the results suggest the intervention was generally well tolerated and enjoyed by older adults, with no serious adverse effects reported.

BACKGROUND Sedentary behavior is highly prevalent among older adults, with adherence to exercise being a major challenge. Exercise offers significant physical, psychological, and social benefits, but enjoyment is a key factor influencing adherence. Technology-based interventions, have shown promise in enhancing motivation and participation, demonstrating higher adherence rates compared to conventional treatments, though challenges like motivation loss and technological barriers persist. This review evaluates active videogames interventions' effectiveness in enjoyment and satisfaction. OBJECTIVE This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine whether active video games are superior to other interventions in generating greater enjoyment or satisfaction. METHODS : Pubmed, Cochrane, PEDro, SportDiscus, CINHAL, Web of Science and Scopus databases were searched from inception to October 2024 to identify randomized clinical trials (RCT) or crossover studies. The primary outcome was enjoyment or satisfaction, assessed using various scales, including the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PACES), Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI), User Satisfaction Questionnaire, and Likert-type scoring scales. Secondary ouFive studies were included in the quantitative analysis. RESULTS Five studies were included in the quantitative analysis. The results indicated a significant improvement in enjoyment/satisfaction compared to control groups (SMD: 0.34; 95% CI (0.05 to 0.64); p=0.02; I2=24%), although the size effect was small. Secondary outcomes could not be analyzed due to insufficient data in the selected studies. CONCLUSIONS Active video game interventions may improve enjoyment and satisfaction in older adults, but the evidence remains of low certainty. CLINICALTRIAL CRD42024593212

Background and Objectives: Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition characterized by widespread pain, reduced quality of life, and impaired physical function. Given that physical activity is a primary treatment for musculoskeletal health and overall well-being, VR-based active exercise may offer an innovative way to engage individuals with fibromyalgia in therapeutic movement. Methods: A Systematic Review and meta-analysis were conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Randomized controlled trials including adult patients with fibromyalgia undergoing active VR-based exercise interventions were included. Databases searched were PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, CENTRAL, and PEDro from inception up to 18 July 2025. Primary outcomes were pain intensity, fatigue, and symptom severity. Secondary outcomes included depression, anxiety, kinesiophobia, aerobic capacity, muscle strength, and balance. Risk of bias was assessed using Cochrane’s Risk of Bias 2 tool, and certainty of evidence was evaluated using GRADE. Results: Ten randomized controlled trials (203 participants) were included. Active VR interventions significantly reduced pain (SMD = −0.51), fatigue (SMD = −0.53), and symptom severity (MD = −8.41). Moderate effects were found for depression (SMD = −0.51) and anxiety (SMD = −0.41). Non-significant improvements were also observed in aerobic capacity (SMD = 0.28), and muscle strength (SMD = 0.33), while balance slightly favored control group (SMD = −0.19). The overall certainty of evidence for main outcomes was rated low. Subgroup analyses showed VR was superior to both no intervention and other isolated therapies. Conclusions: Active virtual reality-based exercise interventions appear effective for improving physical and psychological outcomes in fibromyalgia, although findings should be interpreted cautiously due to low certainty of evidence.