Assessment Of Fitness Variables And Health Behavior In Intercollegiate Esports Participants

INTRODUCTION: Esports participation has grown in popularity over the last several years with many colleges and universities in the United States funding intercollegiate teams. Based on the relatively sedentary nature of video game play, along with the potential for excessive screen-time, Esports participants may be at risk for developing a lifestyle that is conducive to the development of many chronic health conditions. PURPOSE: To examine fitness variables and health behavior in a sample of university sponsored Esports competitors. METHODS: Ten (n = 10) male intercollegiate Esports participants were tested for fitness variables including cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2 max) on a treadmill and body composition (BF%) using seven site skinfold measurement. Furthermore, participants were asked to fill out a lifestyle questionnaire to estimate their daily physical activity, sedentary behavior, screen-time, and sleep quality. One-sample t-tests were then used to compare means for the current sample to known values based on population health recommendations and normative data. RESULTS: Physical activity (t = 3.41, p = 0.004), sedentary behavior (t = 2.25, p = 0.04), and screen-time (t = 4.05, p < 0.001) were all found to be significantly greater in our sample of Esports competitors compared to known standards. VO2 max (t = 4.28, p < 0.001) was found to be significantly less than age and sex related normative values. Mean sleep quality scores (t = 2.92, p = 0.02) were found to be significantly greater than the scoring criteria of the survey tool, which is indicative of reduced overall sleep quality. BF% showed no statistically significant difference compared to normative values. CONCLUSION: The lifestyle habits demonstrated by our current sample of intercollegiate Esports competitors provides the potential for several chronic health risks throughout the lifespan. While the subjects were found to be adequately physically active, they demonstrated excessive sedentary behavior and screen-time along with reduced cardiorespiratory fitness and sleep quality. Further research with more robust sample sizes should continue to examine the health behavior of this population with the goal of identifying and reducing long-term chronic disease risk.