Effects of Gesture-Based Fitness Games on Functional Fitness of the Elders

This paper describes the evaluation of a Kinect/Motion-based game designed for the purpose of promoting physical activity among older adults. Using a convenience sample, this study followed participants in a four week exercise program which incorporated the fitness game. The effect of the system on overall functional fitness and user acceptance of the gesture-based technology were studied. Ten participants, aged 62-81, were recruited from a community activity center for the study. The Senior Functional Fitness Test developed by Ricki and Jones was used to measure overall functional fitness levels both prior to and after the intervention phase. Mann-Whitney U Test and Wilcox on Signed Ranks Test were used to analyze the results. Both tests showed that there is no significant difference in overall functional fitness between the control group and the study group. However, significant improvement was found in upper body flexibility, reaction time, and game performance. The overall results and feedback showed great potential of using gesture-based fitness system with game design.