Early physical activity (PA) interventions during preschool ages are necessary and critical to cultivate healthy movement
behaviors for healthy growth and development. The increasing obesity rate among children is a major public health concern
globally, which is largely due to poor adherence to participating in regular PA. Active video game (AVG) interventions have
been increasingly used in promoting PA. The narrative review synthesized current literature regarding the effect of AVG
interventions on physical health and development indicators among healthy preschoolers. A systematic review was performed
in Academic Search Premier, CINAHL, ERIC, PubMed, SPORT Discus, and Web of Science, following the PRISMA guidelines. A total
of seven experimental studies were included; two were home-based interventions and four were center-based interventions.
Three studies confirmed AVG interventions had a positive effect on the targeted outcomes: fruit and vegetable acceptance,
execution function, and perceived competence. All other studies found partially positive effects on PA levels, motor skill
competence, fundamental movement skills, or cognitive flexibility. The available evidence suggests that AVGs could be a
promising channel to promote PA outcomes that contribute to physical health and development in preschoolers. The results
underline advantages and usages of AVG interventions in preschoolers although evidence provided limited robustness. There
is a paucity of studies that investigated the effect of AVG PA interventions on physical health and development in healthy
preschoolers. Future studies are needed to replicate findings and test feasibility and efficacy of AVG PA interventions.
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