Children's situational motivation, rate of perceived exertion and physical activity levels in exergaming: Associations and gender differences

Purpose: Intrinsic motivation has been shown to enhance children's physical activity levels. However, little is known about the relationships between children's intrinsic motivation, rate of perceived exertion and physical activity levels in exergaming. This study was designed to examine the relationships between children's intrinsic motivation, perceived exertion and physical activity levels in an exergaming program, as well as the gender differences on children's physical activity levels. Methods: A total of 152 fourth through sixth grade suburban children participated in a 30-minute exergaming program for 12 weeks beyond a weekly 30-minute physical education class. Children's intrinsic motivation and rate of perceived exertion in exergaming was measured with standardized questionnaires in the mid-program (5th week), followed by the measurement of their physical activity levels (sedentary, light physical activity, and moderate to vigorous physical activity [MVPA]) in exergaming with ActiGraph accelerometers from 6^th to 8^th week. Results: Regression analysis indicated that intrinsic motivation was the only significant predictor for perceived exertion (ß = .19, p <.05), whereas rate of perceived exertion was the only significant predictor for percentage of time spent in MVPA (ß = .15, p =.05). One-way MANOVA revealed that, girls spent significantly more time in MVPA than boys, F(1, 150)=14.75, p<.01; and less time being sedentary, F(1, 150)=15.68, p<.01. Conclusions: The findings indicate that children who are intrinsically motivated tend to report high exertion, which may in turn promote greater physical activity levels in exergaming. Additionally, girls seemed to be more physically active than boys when playing dance-based exergaming.