Video games encourage kids to eat healthy food--study

According to researchers, therapeutic video games like "Escape From Diab" and "Nanoswarm: Invasion From Inner Space," that motivate players to increase their intake of water and consumption of fruits and vegetables lowered their risk of obesity and diabetes.

Lead author of the study, Dr Tom Baranowski, Professor of Paediatrics, U.S. Department of Agriculture/Agricultural Research Service supported Children's Nutrition Research Centre, Baylor College of Medicine stated, “ Diab and Nanoswarm were designed as epic video game adventures, comparable to commercial quality video games.

"These games incorporated a broad diversity of behavior change procedures woven in and around engrossing stories. The games motivated players to substantially improve diet behaviors.

"Serious video games offer promise of innovative channels for effective behavior change. Once a child's attention has been attracted, modeling, tailoring, and feedback can increase personal relevance; in addition, games add fun."

Details of the study
In a bid to investigate the impact of therapeutic video games on children’s diet and physical activity, the researchers conducted a clinical trial.

For the purpose of the study, they enrolled 153 kids aged 10 to 12 years with body mass index (BMI) between the 50th and 95th percentile.

The study subjects were split into two groups. The treatment comprised of 103 children while the control segment was made up of 50 kids.

The treatment group first played Diab and then Nanoswarm while the control group played commercial video games on popular websites.

An assessment was carried out on both the groups at the onset of the trial, after they finished playing Diab and Nanoswarm and then again two months after the trail was completed.

This evaluation involved measurements of height, weight, waist size, and the thickness of triceps skin-fold.

In addition, the physical activity of each kid was monitored for at least four days by accelerometer-based data. Food intake was measured by registered dietitians.

Revelations of the study
Health professionals found that kids playing the two therapeutic games increased their daily consumption of healthy food items by two or three servings compared to the control group.

However, the physical activities of the children remained below the minimum recommended levels and they also failed to increase their daily consumption of water.

The authors stated, "Fruit and vegetable intake and water consumption and physical activity were still below the minimum recommendations, indicating that more work is needed.

"Serious video games hold promise, but their effectiveness and mechanisms of change among youth need to be investigated more thoroughly. Research is needed on the optimal design of video game components to maximize change."

The study has been published in the January 2011 issue of the 'American Journal of Preventive Medicine.'