Active Video Games Boost Calorie Expenditure, Reduce Obesity Risks, Study Finds

A study published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine suggests that children who engage in active video games expend significantly more calories than those who play passive video games, reducing their risk of obesity, HealthDay reports. Researchers from the University of Hong Kong compared the calorie expenditure of 18 children ages 6 to 12 during seated gaming and two active gaming formats. The study found that children's heart rates were significantly higher during the two active gaming formats. Compared to children at rest, children participating in a running game expended more than five times as many calories per minute, and those playing a bowling game expended nearly twice as many calories per minute. Children participating in seated gaming burned only 39 percent more calories than children at rest. The researchers also found that children's heart rates were much higher during active gaming than during seated play. They suggest that manipulating the gaming environment could encourage some children to engage in regular physical activity. Dr. David Katz, director of the Prevention Research Center at Yale University School of Medicine, seconded that point, noting that "the power of technological progress can be converted from foe to friend with regard to the health of children" by being tapped to provide a meaningful source of physical activity (Reinberg, HealthDay, 9/1/08; Mellecker/McManus, Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, September 2008]).