Pediatricians Say Video Games Help Kids Exercise
What’s the Latest Development?
Pediatricians are encouraging children to play more video games, as long as those games run on consuls that depend on body movement, such as Xbox-Kinect and Wii, to move the game forward. A new study published in The Journal of Pediatrics has found that such games can provide a form of exercise that is lacking among the majority of children in the United States. The study evaluated 15 children, 9-11 years of age, as they participated in 15 minutes each of high-intensity exergaming (Kinect Sports—200m Hurdles), low-intensity exergaming (Kinect Sports—Ten Pin Bowling), and a graded exercise test (treadmill).
What’s the Big Idea
The study concluded that high-intensity gaming resulted in an energy expenditure equal to that of moderately intense physical activity. High-intensity video games may also improve the vascular health of children. “According to Dr. Louise Naylor who led the study, ‘Higher intensity exergaming may be a good form of activity for children to use to gain long-term and sustained health benefits.’ These findings also support the growing notion that high intensity activity is beneficial for children’s health, and high intensity exergaming should be considered a means of encouraging children to become more active.”
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