An Initial Evaluation of the Impact of Pokémon GO on Physical Activity.
Abstract
Pokémon GO is a location-based augmented reality game. Using GPS and the camera on
a smartphone, the game requires players to travel in real world to capture animated
creatures, called Pokémon. We examined the impact of Pokémon GO on physical activity
(PA).A pre-post observational study of 167 Pokémon GO players who were self-enrolled
through recruitment flyers or online social media was performed. Participants were
instructed to provide screenshots of their step counts recorded by the iPhone Health
app between June 15 and July 31, 2016, which was 3 weeks before and 3 weeks after
the Pokémon GO release date. Of 167 participants, the median age was 25 years (interquartile
range, 21-29 years). The daily average steps of participants at baseline was 5678
(SD, 2833; median, 5718 [interquartile range, 3675-7279]). After initiation of Pokémon
GO, daily activity rose to 7654 steps (SD, 3616; median, 7232 [interquartile range,
5041-9744], pre-post change: 1976; 95% CI, 1494-2458, or a 34.8% relative increase
[P<0.001]). On average, 10 000 "XP" points (a measure of game progression) was associated
with 2134 additional steps per day (95% CI, 1673-2595), suggesting a potential dose-response
relationship. The number of participants achieving a goal of 10 000+ steps per day
increased from 15.3% before to 27.5% after (odds ratio, 2.06; 95% CI, 1.70-2.50).
Increased PA was also observed in subgroups, with the largest increases seen in participants
who spent more time playing Pokémon GO, those who were overweight/obese, or those
with a lower baseline PA level.Pokémon GO participation was associated with a significant
increase in PA among young adults. Incorporating PA into gameplay may provide an alternative
way to promote PA in persons who are attracted to the game.URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov.
Unique identifier: NCT02888314.
Type
Journal articleSubject
HumansExercise
Odds Ratio
Least-Squares Analysis
Retrospective Studies
Health Status
Time Factors
Video Games
Geographic Information Systems
Adult
Health Promotion
Female
Male
Young Adult
Actigraphy
Self Report
Mobile Applications
Fitness Trackers
Cell Phone
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/17332Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1161/JAHA.116.005341Publication Info
Hernandez, Adrian; Xian, Ying; Peterson, Eric; Xu, Haolin; Xu, Hanzhang; Liang, Li;
& Wang, Tracy Y (2017). An Initial Evaluation of the Impact of Pokémon GO on Physical Activity. Journal of the American Heart Association, 6(5). pp. e005341-e005341. 10.1161/JAHA.116.005341. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/17332.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Adrian Felipe Hernandez
Professor of Medicine
Eric David Peterson
Fred Cobb, M.D. Professor of Medicine
Dr Peterson is the Fred Cobb Distinguished Professor of Medicine in the Division of
Cardiology, a DukeMed Scholar, and the Past Executive Director of the Duke Clinical
Research Institute (DCRI), Durham, NC, USA.
Dr Peterson is the Principal Investigator of the National Institute of Health, Lung
and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Spironolactone Initiation Registry Randomized Interventional
Trial in Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction (SPIRRIT) Trial He is also
the Principal I
Ying Xian
Associate Professor in Neurology
Dr. Xian is an Associate Professor of Neurology and Medicine at the Duke University
Medical Center and Duke Clinical Research Institute. He received his Medical Degree
from Beijing Medical University (Peking University Health Science Center) and completed
his residency at Fuwai Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, and Peking University
People’s Hospital. Dr. Xian’s research is dedicated to improving health care quality
and outcomes in patients with cardiovascular disease and st
Hanzhang Xu
Medical Instructor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health
Haolin Xu
Biostatistician II
Alphabetical list of authors with Scholars@Duke profiles.

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