Exergame Study for Family Caregivers

Steps were automatically synced from the Fitbit for both conditions daily. Days with 500 or fewer recorded steps were coded as missing. Weekly step averages were calculated for weeks with 4 or more days not coded missing. The first two weeks of baseline steps were averaged to form the baseline step.

Percent change of steps was calculated as the difference between the average weekly steps during the intervention (weeks 3-8) and baseline steps divided by baseline steps.

Self-report measure of social support from the Lubben Social Network Scale for family and friends with scores summed across 18 items. Possible scores range from 0-60, with higher scores indicating higher social support.

Social Connectedness Scale was administered weekly during the intervention with the following subscales:

relationship salience, shared understandings, knowing other's experiences, satisfaction with the contact quantity and quality, and dissatisfaction with contact quantity. Scores were averaged across items from each subscale and possible scores ranged from 1 to 7 with higher scores indicating a higher level of the subscale.

The UCLA Loneliness Scale captures one's subjective feelings of loneliness over the past week for weekly surveys and over the past month for pretest and posttest surveys (20 items with ratings from 1 "Never" to 4 "Often"). The scores were averaged across the 20 items, with a score ranging from 1-4. A higher score indicates more loneliness.

Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) (20 items) asks participants to report how often participants felt positive and negative feelings over the past week for weekly surveys, and over the past month for pre-test and post-test surveys. Scores were averaged across the items (Total positive and negative affect scores can range from 0-4, with a higher score indicating a higher level of positive affect or negative affect).

Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) asks participants' stress perception over the last month and scores were summed across the items (Possible scores range from 0 to 40 with higher scores indicating higher stress).

Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) captures participants' psychological distress over the past week, scores were summed across the items (Total score ranges from 0-72, with higher scores indicating more stress) (Derogatis, 1975).

Caregiver's Stress Scale has a series of subscales based on a conceptual model of caregivers' stress: overload, relational deprivation, job and caregiving conflict, role captivity, sense of self, caregiving competence, personal gain, management of situation, management of meaning, management of distress, and expressive support. Each subscale ranges from 1 (strongly disagree) to 4 (strongly agree), and each subscale was averaged (with possible score ranging from 1-4) so that higher scores would indicate a higher value.

International Physical Activity Questionnaire - Short Version. A continuous score was calculated expressed as MET (Metabolic Equivalents) minutes per week: Total MET-min/week = (Walk METs*min*days) + (Mod METs*min*days) + Vig METs*min*days). A higher score means a higher level of physical activity.

9 items assessed how certain participants will exercise under certain circumstances (e.g., when you are feeling under pressure or when you are away from home). Items are assessed from 1 (very sure) to 4 (not at all sure). Items were reverse coded and summed across all items with a score ranging from 9 to 36. A higher score indicates higher exercise self-efficacy.

Items are assessed from 1 (disagree strongly) to 7 (agree strongly) summed across all items, ranging from 5-35. A higher score indicates a higher satisfaction with life.

items were used to assess sense of control. For example: "There is little I can do to change many of the important things in my life." Items are assessed from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree) and reverse coded. A sum across all items was calculated ranging from 6-42. A higher score indicates a higher sense of control.

Exergame Enjoyment Questionnaire (EEQ) was included in the posttest, which measured how much participants enjoyed the exergame (Fitzgerald et al., 2020). 20 items ranged from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5) were summed. Scores rannged from 20 - 100, with a higher score indicating more exergame enjoyment.