Computer games to help obese children get fit » Health » 24dash.com

A major new research project has been launched to discover whether computer games can help obese children stay active.

The 47-week study designed by Nottingham Trent University aims to explore how video games can be used to encourage youngsters to exercise.

Led by Dr Richard Wood, from the University's social science department, 40 overweight children, aged between seven and 12, will test out more physical computer games - such as the Dancemat - available on modern games consoles.

The study will measure the level of physical exertion required to undertake selected games, which will then be rated against how enjoyable the youngsters found the games to play.

"There are now a number of action orientated video games on the market for children including Sony's EyeToy and Nintendo's Dancemat which promote physical activity amongst players as opposed to traditional video games which are sedentary," said Dr Wood.

"We know that video games are increasingly popular with children. The purpose of this project is to examine whether action-orientated video games can be effective in terms of encouraging physical activity amongst obese children and furthermore, how the use of video games can affect psychological wellbeing.

"Once we have the results, we will then develop practical suggestions as to how games can be designed to encourage physical activity in children."

Recent figures from the Department of Health show that 13.3% of the 5.3 million children aged two to ten in the UK are obese.

Meanwhile a report by the Department for Education and Skills claims the number of children playing competitive sport at school has fallen dramatically, with 60% of 15 and 16-year-olds not taking part in school games.

In contrast, video games have never been so popular, with 82% of nine to 19-year-olds owning a console and 70% of the same age group admitting to playing computer games online.

Youngsters who already attend the Go For It healthy eating and exercise project in Nottingham have been selected for the study. They will be asked to play the games regularly at home while wearing a movement monitor.

Every two weeks they will be physically and psychologically examined to see what impact the games have on their weight, confidence and self-esteem.

Dr Dilip Nathan, consultant community paediatrician at Nottingham University Hospitals' Trust said: "If we think like young people and understand what they look for in computer games, I believe we may be able to unlock some important findings as to how these games could be developed in the future to promote physical activity."

Copyright Press Association 2006.