Comparing Energy Expenditure in Adolescents With and Without Autism While Playing Nintendo® Wii™ Games

Abstract Objective: Obesity rates are on the rise in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), which underscores the importance of finding new ways in which to engage this population in physical activity. We wanted to explore the energetic expenditure of adolescents with and without ASD while playing Nintendo® Wii™ (Nintendo of America, Inc., Redmond, WA) games compared with more traditional exercise modalities. Specifically, we wanted to compare energy expenditure (EE) among the different activities and to see which activities lead to the greatest amount of time classified as “moderate to vigorous.” Subjects and Methods: Two groups of adolescents (15 with ASD [mean age, 17.50±2.4 years], 15 without ASD [mean age, 17.23±4.1 years]) participated in 20-minute bouts of walking, running, and playing Nintendo Wii “Sport™,” Wii “Fit™,” and “Dance Dance Revolution” (DDR) (Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc., El Segundo, CA). During each session, EE was calculated using an Actical (Mini Mitter Co., Bend, O...