 | | | | Related Healthscout Videos | |
|
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Could video games actually help win the war against childhood obesity?
Maybe, report Mayo Clinic researchers who tested the effects of activity-based video games on energy expenditure in 15 children considered of normal weight and 10 considered mildly obese.
Text Continues Below
All the kids underwent energy expenditure measurements while watching TV, while playing traditional video games, while playing games requiring them to get up and get moving, and while walking on a treadmill while watching TV.
When the kids played a video game placing them in the action and requiring them to catch balls and other objects, their energy expenditure tripled. The result was the same for both the normal weight and obese children.
Walking on the treadmill also tripled energy expenditure levels for the normal weight kids, but upped levels for the obese kids by five times. The best results for both groups of kids were seen when they played a video game that required them to get up and dance, with all the kids burning the most calories while playing that game. The obese kids did especially well, burning about six-times more calories than they did while sitting still.
The researchers note their study doesn't provide any surprising results, but does underscore the role more active video games could play in helping the nation's children build better physical fitness.
"Projections indicate that screen time for children is likely to continue to increase, rather than decrease," write the authors. "We think that converting seat-based screen time to activity-associated screen time is an essential approach for promoting an active environment that is also fun for children."
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: PEDIATRICS, 2006;118: e1831-e1835
|
.gif)
