Video games may help fight obesity

1 September 2008 09:28pm

Active video games that involve physical movement may be an effective answer to childhood obesity, according to new research.

Entertainment systems such as XaviX allow players to become actively engaged with the virtual world, for instance by running on a "gaming mat" or swinging a virtual reality tennis racquet.

Tests carried out on children showed that the games can burn up enough calories to prevent weight gain.

Taking advantage of youngsters' passion for video games may be one way to prevent them becoming unfit and overweight, experts suggest.

Commenting on the findings in a scientific journal, Dr Russell Pate, from the University of South Carolina in Columbia, US, wrote: "Electronic entertainment is not going away. So if we want to promote physical activity in the context of contemporary society, we will have to fight fire with fire.

"Physically active video gaming may be part of the antidote to the poisonous growth of sedentary entertainment."

Video games are fast becoming the preferred leisure pursuit of school-age children, according to researchers.

Worldwide computer and video game sales have increased by £2.6 billion in the last 10 years, and more than 83% of young people aged eight to 18 in the US now have video game players in their bedrooms.

A recent European study found that 70% of children taking part in a survey used electronic games.

Too much time spent watching TV or playing video games is widely blamed for the current obesity epidemic among young people.

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