Active Video Gaming: It Won't Solve Obesity Epidemic

If your child would rather play video games than head outdoors with a soccer ball, you might be interested in a study that found “active video gaming” may help children increase their physical activity level.

Researchers from the University of Chester, England, say children between the ages of 11 and 15 significantly raised their heart rate and oxygen uptake – VO2 – when they played two games: Dance Central and Kinect Sports Boxing, according to a university news release.

“Significant increases were observed in heart rate, VO2 [oxygen update] and energy expenditure during all gaming conditions compared with both rest and sedentary game play,” the authors wrote. The study was published by Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.

But before you head to the nearest video game store, consider this: the study only included 18 children. And even the researchers acknowledge that “it is unlikely that active video game play can single-handedly provide the recommended amount of physical activity for children or expend the number of calories required to prevent or reverse the obesity epidemic.”