Mayo study: Interactive video games can help curb obesity

Mayo study: Interactive video games can help curb obesity

 

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Using video games that require kids to get up and move could be used to fight obesity, according to a Mayo Clinic study in the December issue of Pediatrics. The researchers measured kids' energy expenditure when they sat and watched TV, sat and played a video game, played an interactive video game, or when they walked on the treadmill while watching TV. When playing video games that required them to dance or physically move, the children's energy expenditure significantly increased, especially among the obese children. The researchers said that since kids' screen time for TV and video games now averages eight hours per day, more interactive games could help reverse the obesity trend. Also, the Mayo researchers want to conduct further studies in randomized trials. 

For the study, go to: Pediatrics.