Abstract

Obesity among male adolescents in China is becoming increasingly severe. Many researchers have tested whether different types of training can effectively affect adolescents' waist and hip circumference (WHR). This study used Competitive Exergames (CE) to design an intervention experiment to explore whether this intervention can effectively inhibit the problem of central obesity in adolescents. Twenty-four overweight or obese boys from three boarding schools in Fujian Province were randomly divided into a Peer Involvement in Competitive Exercise (PICE) group, a Single-Player Competitive Exergame (SPCE) group, and a No-Intervention in Daily Life (NIDY) group. Waist Circumference (WC) and Hip Circumference (HC) were measured before and after the two-week CE intervention, and the WHR was calculated. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the Bonferroni test were used to analyse the differences between groups, and generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used to simulate the longitudinal effect. The results showed a significant between-group effect on WC after the intervention (F = 4.609, p = 0.022). Compared with NIDY, the PICE group reduced WC (p = 0.020, d = 1.51), while the SPCE group had no significant change. There were no significant differences between the HC and WHR groups, which were not statistically significant. Short-term, moderate-intensity peer involvement in CE can significantly reduce WC in overweight and obese adolescent boys, and its effects are superior to single-player CE and conventional non-intervention activities.