Trial reportPloS one2020
Effect of practice exergames on the mood states and self-esteem of elementary school boys and girls during physical education classes: A cluster-randomized controlled natural experiment.
Trial report in PloS one, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 53 citations in OpenAlex.
- Psychological variables of crossFit participants: an up-to-date systematic review.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Pooled it
- The impact of Exergames on emotional experience: a systematic review.Frontiers in public health · 2023Pooled it
- Physical and Psychological Effects of Home-Based vs Face-to-Face Prehabilitation in Individuals With Severe Obesity Awaiting Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR research protocols · 2026Article
- The impact of physical activities on positive emotions in children and adolescents: a meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Review
- Effects of Exergames on Motor Skills, Psychological Well-Being, and Cognitive Abilities in Schoolchildren and Adolescents: Scoping Review.JMIR pediatrics and parenting · 2025Article
- Impact of social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of university students and recommendations for the post-pandemic period: A systematic review.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2025Review
- Physical activity as a protective factor in the mood of children and adolescents: association with overweight and obesity.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2025Article
- Prevalence of Specific Mood Profile Clusters among Elite and Youth Athletes at a Brazilian Sports Club.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- The Relationship between Gamified Physical Exercise and Mental Health in Adolescence: An Example of Open Innovation in Gamified Learning.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Gross Motor Development in Preschoolers through Conductivist and Constructivist Physical Recreational Activities: Comparative Research.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- A scoping review of interventions using occupation to improve mental health or mental wellbeing in adolescent populations.The British journal of occupational therapy · 2023Article
- Efficacy of a 6-week Novel Exergaming Intervention Guided by Heart Rate Zones on Aerobic Performance in Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Feasibility Study.International journal of exercise science · 2023Article
- The Effects of Verbal Encouragement during a Soccer Dribbling Circuit on Physical and Psychophysiological Responses: An Exploratory Study in a Physical Education Setting.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- School educational models and child mental health among K-12 students: a scoping review.Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health · 2022Article
- The Effectiveness of Serious Games for Alleviating Depression: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.JMIR serious games · 2022Review
- Scoping Review on Interventions for Physical Activity and Physical Literacy Components in Brazilian School-Aged Children and Adolescents.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Universal school-based e-health interventions for wellbeing, anxiety and depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Digital healthArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Reduced physical exercise can impact children's mental health. Use of active electronic games can help promote psychological health. Physical education (PE class) uses different resources, methods, and contents to promote student health. We investigated the effect of exergames on the mood and self-esteem of children and compare it that of with traditional PE classes. From a sample of 213 children (7-11 years old), 140 from 10 classes of the fourth and fifth grades of elementary school (59 boys, 81 girls; mean age 9.41±0.48 years), allocated to an experimental group (EG; n = 68; five clusters) and a PE group (PE; n = 72; five clusters), participated in this experimental controlled study. The EG practiced exergames during three 40-minute classes, and the PE group held three routine curricular PE classes. Brunel's Mood Scale and Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale were applied. Repeated measures ANOVA identified differences between sexes and groups. The main results of the EG demonstrated reduced tension in girls (p <0.05; ES: 0.62; 95% CI: 0.17-1.05). Regarding sex comparisons, anger was lower in girls (F: 4.57; p <0.05; ES: 0.61; 95% CI: 0.11-1.11) in the EG. Vigor was higher in girls in the EG than in those in the PE group (F: 5.46; p <0.05; ES: 0.56; 95% CI: 0.12-1.01). The main results of the PE group indicated increased self-esteem in boys (p <0.05; ES: 0.58; 95% CI: 0.08-1.07) and reduction of girls' mental confusion (p <0.05; ES 0.58; 95% CI 0.15-1.06). Thus, exergames impact boys' and girls' self-esteem and mood, as well as traditional physical education classes. Further study on exergames in schools is essential, with long-term effects on physical and mental health. Exergames bring interesting, varied content, technology, and innovation that can increase the attractiveness of physical education.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.