The Association between Esports Participation, Health and Physical Activity Behaviour

Michael G Trotter, Tristan J. Coulter, Paul A Davis, Dylan R Poulus and Remco Polman
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Michael G Trotter: Faculty of Health, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Health Faculty, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane QLD 4059, Australia
Tristan J. Coulter: Faculty of Health, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Health Faculty, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane QLD 4059, Australia
Paul A Davis: Department of Psychology, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden
Dylan R Poulus: Faculty of Health, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Health Faculty, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane QLD 4059, Australia
Remco Polman: Faculty of Health, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Health Faculty, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane QLD 4059, Australia

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 19, 1-14

Abstract: We investigated the association between obesity, self-reported physical activity, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, and perceived health in esports players, and the influence of player in-game rank. Data was collected with an online survey with an international participant sample of esports players representing five esports and all skill levels ( n = 1772). Esports players were more likely to be categorized as normal weight, or obesity class 2 and 3 and as non-smokers (92%) and non-drinkers (65.1%) compared to international reference data. Esports players met international physical activity guidelines less than global general population. Esports players ranked in the top 10% were more physically active compared to the remaining esports players. As esports player in-game rank increased, so did the amount of time spent playing esports. Although esports players appear generally healthy, a small group was significantly obese and most esports players did not meet physical activity guidelines, indicating potential future health risks.

Keywords: BMI; exercise; video gaming; alcohol use; smoking behaviour (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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