Comparing the Effects of Conventional Exercise and Exergme on Self-Esteem among Elderly People

Background: Self-esteem is an important aspect of the adaptive processes at all stages of life, but especially in older adults. Older people with low self-esteem may feel powerless and incompetent and lead to physical and cognitive decline and may increase the chances of depression and suicide. Exergame or active video game is the new intervention to improve performance and mental activity of elderly people. Objective: the main purpose of this study to investigate comparing effects of exergame and conventional exercise on self-esteem of older adults. Method: Fourthly five elderly 65 year and above (25 female and 20 male) randomly divided to 3 groups of exergame, conventional exercise and control. Copper Smith self-esteem questionnaire was conducted to measure self-esteem before and after intervention program. Intervention program was performing 3 times per week and for 8 weeks. The Xbox Kinect was applied for exergame group, and all games were suitable for elderly people. Results: Mixed repeated measurement ANOVA was used to analysis the hypothesis. The results of this study showed that there were significant interactions between time (pre- and post-tests) for conventional group (P = 0.04) and exergame group (P 0.001). The most striking result to emerge from the data is that exergame intervention is more effective than conventional exercise. Conclusion: The most obvious finding to emerge from this study is that exergame is more effective than conventional balance exercise. The evidence from this study suggests that the Xbox Kinect exercise is enjoyable, feasible, and low cost program to promote self-esteem and psychological function among older adults. Exercise and physical activity increase feeling of self-worth, mental positivity and reduces feelings of anxiety and depression.