Non-communicable chronic diseases are characterized by their slow progression and long duration. They usually require ongoing management. The practice of regular physical exercises is recommended due to the already proven benefits; however, it still has low adherence by patients. In view of this, we currently observe the increasing use of technologies with the aim of reducing sedentary behavior to improve disease management, as well as prevent them in this population.

To map and understand the state of the art in the use of gamified exercise programs in the level of physical activity, sedentary behavior, and quality of life in patients with chronic non-communicable diseases. In addition, to investigate whether there is a difference in the benefits of programs with or without professional exercise supervision.

In this scope review, searches were performed in the following databases: PubMed, EMBASE, PEDro, LILACS and Cochrane Library. Randomized clinical trials with adults or elderly people with chronic diseases undergoing gamified exercise programs that investigated the effect of gamified exercise programs compared to usual exercise on physical activity level, sedentary behavior and quality of life were included. The methodological quality (via PEDro, 0 to 10pts), the description of the intervention (via TIDier, 0 to 20pts) and the quality of health applications (via MARS, 0 to 20pts) of the included studies were evaluated.

Nine studies were included (n=901; 61±5 years) including three studies in individuals with cancer, one with stroke, one with multiple sclerosis, one with COPD, two with Diabetes Mellitus, and one with knee and hip osteoarthritis. In three studies, gamification was performed via a smartphone application. The intervention was supervised in six of the nine studies. The scores of the studies in PEDro and TIDieR were 5.5±1.3 (ranging from 0 to 8 pts) and 16.11±3.14 (ranging from 10 to 20 pts), respectively. MARS (ranging from 10,9 to 16,9 pts) was applied in three studies and the score was 13.4±9.75. Supervised gamified interventions increased the level of physical activity (movement time, daily steps and distance walked in 6 minutes) compared to usual supervised exercises. Quality of life was similar between groups in all studies. Unsupervised interventions were similar for all outcomes evaluated.

Supervised gamified exercise programs seem to increase the level of physical activity compared to usual exercises in patients with chronic diseases. However, studies with better methodological qualities and subgroup analyzes are needed.

Gamified physical exercise programs can be a good strategy to increase physical activity levels if they are supervised compared to habitual exercise programs. However, other strategies need to be implemented so that this improvement in the level of physical activity has a positive impact on the quality of life of patients with chronic non-communicable diseases.