. 2020 Apr 16;9(2):71–84. doi: 10.1089/g4h.2019.0034

Table 1.

Indicators of Physical Activity During Playing Pokémon Go

Authors (year of publication) Location of sample	Sample characteristics (+age)	Design	Method of PA assessment	Comparison	Impact
Althoff et al.⁶⁷ (2016) United States	792 U.S. PG players as measured by queries to Microsoft Bing	Data mining: 1420 players vs. 50,000 random selected U.S. Microsoft Band users	Step number from wrist worn 3 axis accelerometer and gyrometer	30 days of step counts before and after first PG experiential query+matched days from same start in control group	PG users increased daily steps by 192 from before to after start; 65 steps/day higher than control group; but steps declined to baseline or lower after 30 days
					Higher engagement with PG (as indicated by number of queries) led to more steps/day
Howe et al.⁶⁸ (2016)	560 U.S. survey participants in Amazon Turk (18–35 yo)	Amazon Turk survey participants who volunteered	iPhone 6	4 weeks before PG and 6 weeks after	PG users increased 955 steps/day in week 1 after PG started, but declined to +130 steps in week 6. Similar differences between players and non-players
United States	560 U.S. survey participants in Amazon Turk (18–35 yo)	Amazon Turk survey participants who volunteered	iPhone 6	4 weeks before PG and 6 weeks after
Nigg et al.¹²⁴ (2017)	486 survey participants reported online ( $\bar{x}$ = 28.6 yo)	Cross-sectional internet survey from July 28 to Aug. 31, 2016	Self-reported using Godin questionnaire	Self-reported before and after playing PG	Players increased MVPA by 50 minutes/week and reduced sedentary behavior by 30 minutes/week
United States			Self-reported using Godin questionnaire	Self-reported before and after playing PG
Xian et al.¹²⁵ (2017)	167 PG players who volunteered on social media ( $\bar{x}$ = 25 yo)	Survey research (Qualtrics)	Provided screenshots of step counts on iPhone Health	3 weeks before and 3 weeks after PG release	PG users increased 1976 steps/day: largest increases in older (>29 yo), male, overweight/obese, and non-student participants
United States		Survey research (Qualtrics)	Provided screenshots of step counts on iPhone Health	3 weeks before and 3 weeks after PG release
Liu and Ligmann-Zielinska¹²⁶ (2017)	47 online PG players ( $\bar{x}$ = 28.7 yo)	Cross-sectional online survey	Self-reported impact on PA	Self-reported	PG play increased player PA by 3 times of PG play, or 3 more hours on +5.6 minutes/week
United States					PG play decreased by time of the survey
United States					Safety of neighborhood influenced PG play
Barkley et al.¹²⁷ (2017)	358 college students ( $\bar{x}$ = 19.8 yo)	Cross-sectional face-to-face survey	International PA questionnaire	Week before PG (T₀), week after PG (T₁), current week (T₂)	Walking: +110 minutes/day at T₁ and +24 minutes/day at T₂
United States			Self-reported minutes of walking and sitting		Sitting: −85 minutes/day at T₁ and −62 minutes/day at T₂
United States			Self-reported minutes of walking and sitting		Played PG 5.2 days/week at T₁ and 2.1 days/week at T₂
Krittanawong et al.¹²⁸ (2017)	10,007 Twitter postings (no characteristic reported)	Data mining: Twitter postings from Aug. 1 to Sept. 10, 2016 mentioning PG and activity or distance	Comments in Twitter postings	Single group descriptive report	12% of tweets: walked 2–35 minutes/day playing PG
Global					3% walked 50–150 minutes/week
					16% walked daily or regularly
					7.5% walked 7.5–145 minutes/week, but not timed
Wong³¹ (2017)	644 university students (72.5% were 18–25 yo)	Cross-sectional online questionnaire	International PA questionnaire short form: vigorous intensity, moderate intensity, and walking in the past 7 days	Current PG players vs. ex-players	No difference in minutes of PA spent playing PG
Hong Kong	644 university students (72.5% were 18–25 yo)	Cross-sectional online questionnaire		Current PG players vs. ex-players	No difference in minutes of PA spent playing PG
Ma et al.⁶⁹ (2018) Hong Kong	210 Hong Kong residents who played PG on iPhone 5 or 6 and responded to survey ( $\bar{x}$ = 61.1 yo)	Longitudinal from before to after PG	iPhone Health app screen shots	Measured for 35 days from 14 days before PG installation to 21 days after	Walking/running increased by 1200 steps/day
		Longitudinal from before to after PG	iPhone Health app screen shots		Difference disappeared after 24 days
Wattanapisit et al.⁷² (2018)	26 Thai medical students ( $\bar{x}$ = 22 yo)	Longitudinal, questionnaire reported online at 3 time points	Self-administered global PA questionnaire v2	Baseline, 1 month, 3 months post-PG download	No significant difference in PA 11/26 students still playing 3 months after PG download.
Thailand	26 Thai medical students ( $\bar{x}$ = 22 yo)		Self-administered global PA questionnaire v2	Baseline, 1 month, 3 months post-PG download
Fountaine et al.⁶⁵ (2018) United States	27 U.S. college students	Played PG for 60 minutes	Accelerometer, ActiLife software,	Single group descriptive report	6006 total steps in 60 minutes, or 100 steps/min
			Troiano cut points		Sedentary: 4.9 minutes
					Light: 6.1 minutes
					MPA: 48.8 minutes
					V: 0.2 minutes
Marquet et al.¹²⁹ (2018)	74 U.S. college students	Pre–post online survey	Ecological Momentary Assessment (12 p.m., 7 p.m., 10 p.m.) for 7 days and step counter on smart phone	Compared EMA responses with smart phone step counts	Non-PG players were significantly more active than players; +279 steps among PG players at noon on weekdays but not at 7 or 10 p.m.
United States	74 U.S. college students	Pre–post online survey		Compared EMA responses with smart phone step counts
Gabbiadini et al.¹³⁰ (2018)	981 respondents using Mechanical Turk	Mechanical Turk respondents	Self-reported responses to 9 items measuring recency and frequency	Correlational analysis of general physical activity	Overall PA was positively related to PG physical activity, attitudes, and sex, but it was negatively related to frequency of PG usage; model accounted for only 12.2% of the variance in overall PA
United States	981 respondents using Mechanical Turk	Mechanical Turk respondents		Correlational analysis of general physical activity
Beach et al.⁶⁶ (2019)	100 U.S. adult users of a 9 mi long greenway (paved path with greenery) from 7 to 9 a.m., 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., or 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in summer	Cross-sectional single use of the greenway	Omron pedometer and Actigraph GT3X accelerometer	PG users vs. non-users	PG players spent as much time on the greenway as non-PG players, but took fewer aerobic steps, walked shorter distances, and burned fewer calories
United States		Cross-sectional single use of the greenway	Omron pedometer and Actigraph GT3X accelerometer	PG users were significantly younger with a lower income
Ni et al.⁷⁰ (2019)	65 Hong Kong medical students	Longitudinal, days after PG release	iPhone accelerometers and health app: walking distance	PG users vs. non-users for 50 days after PG release	PG players walked 1.5, 1.2, 0.9, and 0.6 km more on the 3rd, 4th, 5^th, and 6th days after PG release, but not afterward
Hong Kong	65 Hong Kong medical students	Longitudinal, days after PG release	iPhone accelerometers and health app: walking distance	PG users vs. non-users for 50 days after PG release
Koivisto et al.⁷⁶ (2019)	1190 respondents to an online survey (9–10, 2016) (mode = 21–25 yo)	Cross-sectional	Self-reported PG play hours/day	Physical health outcomes; mental health outcomes; social health outcomes	Hours of PG play was moderately related to all outcomes
Finland		Cross-sectional	Self-reported PG play hours/day		Hours of PG play was moderately related to all outcomes
Hino et al.⁷¹ (2019)	46 PG players and 184 non-players ( $\bar{x}$ = 56 yo)	Respondents to questionnaires randomly sent offering a pedometer	Pedometer step counts	PG players vs. non-players	Significant play status by time since PG release by about 270–583 steps at 4, 5, and 7 months; effects varied by subgroup (but low power to detect differences)
Japan	46 PG players and 184 non-players ( $\bar{x}$ = 56 yo)		Pedometer step counts	PG players vs. non-players

9–10, 2016, September–October, 2016; EMA, ecological momentary assessment; MPA, moderate physical activity; MVPA, moderate to vigorous physical activity; PG, Pokémon Go; yo, years old.