Active, healthier video games for children

Active video games, which promote dance and exercise, are healthier for children than passive and sedentary ones, according to a study done in England. The study is published by the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

Low levels of physical activity are linked to obesity, the article added. Active video games excite children to dance, imitate the movements of sports such as tennis, basketball or boxing and in that way encourage physical activity. Stephen Smallwood and colleagues at the University of Chester, England, examined the physiological responses and energy expenditure of children participating in active video games. For this they used a video game with a sensor device similar to a computer camera and a programming technology that allows the player to interact directly without the need for manual control of the game. The study included ten boys and eight girls aged 11 to 15 years. "Significant increases in heart rate, oxygen intake and energy expenditure were observed during all game conditions compared to video games that are sedentary," the authors note.

The games "Dance Central" and "Kinect Sports Boxing", increased the energy expenditure of children between 1050 and 263 percent, respectively, above the resting levels. Compared to the more traditional video games, in which the players remain seated or recostado, the values ​​obtained by the most active games were of 103 and 194 percent higher, respectively. "An active video game is unlikely to provide, on its own, the amount of physical activity recommended for children, or to spend the number of calories required to prevent or reverse the obesity epidemic," the researchers added.

"However, it seems, from the results of this study that an active game can  contribute to the child's levels of physical activity and energy expenditure, at least in the short term," they added.

Source: Anonymous. (2012). Active, healthier video games for children. 2019, by ABC Color Website: http://www.abc.com.py/ciencia/videojuegos-activos-mas-sanos-para-ninos-455053.html