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01
June 2008
Kids
Energy Expenditure High In Active
Video Games
Active
video games, such as the Nintendo
Wii, are quickly becoming the
most coveted gaming systems on
the market. Beyond entertainment
value, these systems appear to be
helpful in encouraging youth to
exercise, as profiled in three
studies presented today at the
55th Annual Meeting of the
American College of Sports
Medicine (ACSM).
One
of the studies presented today
examined energy expenditure for
active video games compared to
sedentary games to see just how
much more exercise kids get when
playing systems like the Wii.
Gregory Brown, Ph.D., FACSM and
his study team found that Wii
Boxing, Wii Tennis, and Dance
Dance Revolution (a popular
arcade and now at-home dancing
game) burned two to three times
as many calories as traditional
hand-held games. Brown's study
participants included 17 children
around 11 years old.
"I
would still recommend that kids
get outdoors and play sports or
dance with friends in the real
world as opposed to a virtual
one," Brown said. "But if you're
going to play video games, you
might as well play ones that get
you active and
moving."
Researcher
Viki Penpraze conducted a similar
study, comparing two active games
to a hand-held game and simply
watching a DVD. Participants
included 13 children, all around
the age of 10.
During
Dance Mat Mania and Eye-Toy
Boxing, where players simulate
actual boxers, children's
accelerometer counts of total
movements per minutes were more
than four times the DVD and
hand-held game activities. In
addition, Penpraze observed a
higher level of enjoyment in
active gaming.
"Although
enjoyment wasn't officially part
of the study, anecdotally I can
say that enjoyment appeared to be
much higher in the active games,"
Penpraze said. "These active
games are more social in nature
than watching a DVD or
traditional hand-held games.
While one player was competing,
his or her partner would be
cheering for them, which actually
might have led to even more
energy expenditure."
However,
a third study from The
Netherlands found that perhaps
not all active games meet
recommended oxygen consumption -
and energy expenditure - for
children. The research team
studied six gaming systems: Dance
Dance Revolution, Wii Tennis,
Eye-Toy Beach Volleyball,
Xerbike, Lasersquash and
Apartgame. Results showed that
Wii tennis and Eye-Toy Beach
Volleyball did not achieve the
level of energy output
recommended for children by
health and fitness experts in The
Netherlands, but the researchers
are in consensus that some
activity is better than no
activity at all. They say future
studies on active games should
focus on long-term use, effects
on weight control, and
risks.
"Parents
should search for the most active
games possible for their kids, in
order to get children in the
habit of exercise," said Sanne de
Vries, M.S., lead author on the
study. "But any active game is
going to be better for your child
physically than a hand-held
one."
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