title: 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."
  
  
  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, OR) accelerometer. Groups were compared using multiple t tests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both groups expended similar amounts of kilcalories in all activities, except for Wii Fit, in which the ASD group expended significantly more kilocalories. For the ASD group, EE was greatest in running, followed by walking, DDR, Wii Fit, and Wii Sport. Walking, running, and DDR all had at least 75 percent of the total time spent in moderate to vigorous intensity levels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We suggest videogame systems, such as the Nintendo Wii, may be viable alternative for individuals with ASD to increase their daily physical activity and help alleviate the growing rates of obesity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology and Applied Physiology, University of Delaware , Newark, Delaware.
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Getchell
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology and Applied Physiology, University of Delaware , Newark, Delaware.
authors.forename: Dannielle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Miccinello
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology and Applied Physiology, University of Delaware , Newark, Delaware.
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Blom
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology and Applied Physiology, University of Delaware , Newark, Delaware.
authors.forename: Lyssa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology and Applied Physiology, University of Delaware , Newark, Delaware.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Szaroleta