Exergame Options for Physical Activity: Geocaching for Exercise and Activity Research

Background: Geocaching, often described as a real-world treasure hunt, uses exergame strategies to encourage physically active. The sport is growing in popularity because it appeals to people of all ages due to its low-cost, family-friendly format; in fact, currently millions of people play worldwide. Until recently, geocaching had not been studied for physical activity, which is why the Geocaching for Exercise and Activity Research (GEAR) Study was initiated. The GEAR Study is a time-series exploratory project to measure the amount and intensity of physical activity that people engage in while geocaching. Methods: GEAR was initiated in January 2013 with 1000 participants across the United States. Participants were asked to complete twelve monthly surveys to record their physical activity while geocaching. Participants logged activity using pedometers through an online data collection site. Results: GEAR is currently in its last stage of data collection and will wrap up in March 2014. While final analyses will begin in April 2014, preliminary analyses reveal associations between geocaching and physical activity; people who geocached frequently were more likely to meet CDC guidelines for physical activity. Researchers expect to compute multiple regression analyses to understand the predictions of geocaching frequency, as well as MANOVAs to compare means across multiple groups of people, in order to understand if geocaching intensity varies based on geography or age. Conclusion: GEAR findings will help promote geocaching as an exergame. Furthermore, researchers will learn more about why people participate in exergames and what their potential impact is on physical activity.