The state of West Virginia recently approved a program, conceived by the West Virginia University's Motor Development Center, to use Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) as part of a fitness program to be phased into 756 state schools. The first 103 middle schools will be involved in the program over the next two years [12, 13]. Other schools and Universities, such as Caltech, use DDR as a physical education activity in gym [42], and in Norway DDR has been registered as an official sport [8].

 

A recent study conducted on 25 children from 8 to 12 years old demonstrated that energy expenditure playing DDR more than doubled compared to sedentary games or watching TV, and was slightly higher than energy expenditure during walking on a treadmill while watching TV for the same amount of time [9].

 

A study conducted on 40 young adults measured heart rate and maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) during a session on the DDR (6 self-selected songs, approximately 10 minutes). The changes in the measured parameters during the session were consistent with the minimum intensity indicated by the ACSM guidelines, and no injuries occurred during the 201 hours of dance time [10].

 

In older adults, physical activity has been shown to reduce cognitive decline [43], and initial evidence support the idea that dance pad-based practice and training can improve visual selective attention [11].