Effects of music, television, and a combination entertainment system on distraction, exercise adherence, and physical output in adults

A 14-week field study tested the effects of various exercise entertainment modalities on distraction, adherence, and physical outputs in male and female adults. While no statistically significant differences were found between groups on the distraction measures, the combined music and personal television (with 62 changeable channels) group had significantly lower dropout than either music alone, television (with four nonchangeable channels) alone, or a control condition, as well as a trend toward higher attendance. Also, the combined entertainment group participants completed significantly longer exercise sessions than either the control or television-only groups, and demonstrated cardiorespiratory improvements significantly greater than all other groups. Limitations, including the need for improved measurement instrumentation for exercise-related cognitive activity, were given. Practical implications of the findings were discussed.