Wii, DDR 'valuable' for child fitness - Study

By Matthew Peters, GameSpotPosted Jul 14, 2009 9:32 am PT

Oklahoma researchers deem Wii Sports, DDR a "safe, fun, and valuable" alternative to treadmills for increasingly overweight generation of youth.

A study released yesterday in the American Academy of Pediatrics journal Pediatrics notes that about 32 percent of American children are overweight due to sedentary activities, like sitting in front of a television while playing video games. However, the same report finds that games may also be part of a solution to childhood obesity.

In the experiments, heart rates nearly doubled while boxing on the Wii, compared to resting.

Led by Diana Graf of the University of Oklahoma Health Services Center, the study claims to be the "first objective measurement" of the impact of the Wii on kids' health. It found that children ages 10 to 13 can get more exercise out of Wii Sports' boxing and the PlayStation 2's Dance Dance Revolution than they can out of walking on a treadmill. Wii Sports' bowling was also included in the study and offered less dramatic benefits, but it still beat sedentary gameplay. Given the results, the researchers recommend vigorous gameplay as a valuable way for children to stay fit.

"Energy expenditure during active video game play is comparable to moderate-intensity walking," the paper concludes. "Thus, for children who spend considerable time playing electronic screen games for entertainment, physically active games seem to be a safe, fun, and valuable means of promoting energy expenditure."

To conduct the study, researchers observed 14 boys and 9 girls ages 10 to 13 as they exercised using treadmills and game consoles. Subjects occupied a wide spectrum of body compositions, ranging from underweight to obese, and were measured based on energy expenditure, step rate, and heart rate.

A diverse range of children could be exposed to game-based exercise, with 64 percent of kids gaming on consoles and portable devices according to the NPD Group. The average age a child first uses a video game system is 6.5 years old, a group analyst told GameSpot in June.

Console games may also promote good behavior for children, with three recent studies concluding that children who play cooperative video games are more likely to be altruistic. However, a 2007 Iowa State University report claims violent games instill aggressive behavior.

42 Comments

  • gameking5000

    Posted Jul 15, 2009 11:42 pm PT

    Wii Sports= Great way to have fun and lose weight!

  • MrHatnClogs

    Posted Jul 15, 2009 10:56 pm PT

    Whats this *outside* place everyone is talking about?

  • Iriscal

    Posted Jul 15, 2009 12:21 pm PT

    And I'm lean and mean because Mother dearest bought me DDR. I'm not saying that kids will get healthy just by playing any old game, certainly some games are better than others for that. I'm saying that it's possible, and presenting myself as a case study. And if you don't think video games are social activities, maybe you are the one who needs the reality check - I made the vast majority of the friends I have by playing video games with them, playing in the same room instead of over the internet.

  • wiifan001

    Posted Jul 14, 2009 9:24 pm PT

    Video games are much commercial than the "have your kids go and outside and play" method. That's why we're seen substansial increases in discussions of video game exercising.

  • ralphikari

    Posted Jul 14, 2009 5:53 pm PT

    > Iriscal wrote: are you suggesting that good parenting and
    > video games are mutually exclusive?

    No I was speaking in the context of keeping kids healthy. I play tons of games with the kids in my house too, but they don't stay fit because I play Halo, SFIV, Rockband, Madden, Mario Party, Naruto, Maple Story or Animation vs Animator with them.

    The kids are lean and mean because my family take them to biking, swimming, snowboarding, play real football and BBQ.

    Video game is not a substitute of outdoor and social activities. Anyone who thinks otherwise needs a reality check.

  • MrPebody70

    Posted Jul 14, 2009 4:12 pm PT

    Why not subscribe to a bit of both worlds. My 6 year old and 9 year old do both, play OUTSIDE and play INSIDE. Nothing wrong with having a little "rainy day" activity in the house. They also take Tae Kwon Do and read. I don't believe that letting a child play a video game is "bad parenting." Just control and and above all "be a parent!"

  • WhiteSnake5000

    Posted Jul 14, 2009 3:41 pm PT

    It's pretty sad when Wii Sports can actually make you loose weight... You must be hella fat in order for that to happen.

  • CoreoVII

    Posted Jul 14, 2009 2:16 pm PT

    I hope the Wii eventually caves in by its own "Family Gaming" Milk plan. If your child is unhealthy you have yourself to blame. Not the videogames, they did nothing wrong. Choosing to stay away from Mcdonalds helps aswell.

  • Iriscal

    Posted Jul 14, 2009 2:09 pm PT

    Ralphikari, are you suggesting that good parenting and video games are mutually exclusive? My mom bought me DDR and started playing with me to lose weight. I lost ten pounds and got in shape, and she lost fifty. She got so good at it that I was practicing all the time to be able to beat her. She'd also, when I was much younger, sit beside me when I played non-physical games, and point out all the morals and lessons I could learn from the stories, which is how I know my right from wrong and reality from fantasy. More parents should do that with their kids, and that doesn't mean video games can't play a part.

  • judge__judy

    Posted Jul 14, 2009 1:45 pm PT

    Haha did they expect to find that siting on a couch is more beneficial then moving around??

  • Ravenswan32

    Posted Jul 14, 2009 1:23 pm PT

    Sports are better for kids, because they are outdoors and there are more benefits for kids. However, if parents have overweight children and have no possibility to subscribe them in sports or another activities, Wii Fit is a good opportunity to put children in a better health.

  • CrazyGeneral

    Posted Jul 14, 2009 1:19 pm PT

    DDR works very well for weight loss. I lost 80 pounds over a year by playing several rounds a day, I didn't even change my diet. Then again me and my friends played all the hard songs (which are more akin to sprinting than "moderately intense walking") So what's with all the hate? Exercise is exercise, why does it have to be outdoors, or sports? It's not bad parenting to actually listen to your kids and understand what they like doing and don't like doing.

  • angelGP32

    Posted Jul 14, 2009 1:17 pm PT

    ok, can someone give me thousands of dollars for me to tell them that exercise burns calories? Of course Wii and DDR are going to burn more calories than sitting on a couch with a standard controller, my god I can't believe that people fund this BS.

  • metal_militia89 posted Jul 14, 2009 1:12 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    metal_militia89

    Posted Jul 14, 2009 1:12 pm PT (hide)

    Kids are getting fatter and fatter each year. PARENTS: GET THEM OUTSIDE of the house, or else they'll be dead before you are. Seriously, people are dying younger and younger.

  • painguy1

    Posted Jul 14, 2009 1:00 pm PT

    @robfield: yeah seriously make ur kid do sports or something.

  • ralphikari

    Posted Jul 14, 2009 12:58 pm PT

    This study is BS promoting video games over good parenting. Are the researchers trying to help kids or legitimize their own obsession?

  • robfield

    Posted Jul 14, 2009 12:49 pm PT

    You know what's also 'valuable' for child fitness? EXERCISE!

    LET YOUR CHILDREN OUT OF THE HOUSE!

    "Vigorous gameplay" is nothing compared to a game of soccer, basketball, or just running around.

  • avatarofwoe314

    Posted Jul 14, 2009 12:31 pm PT

    And actual exercise is even better. How about kids actually go outside sometimes, and parents stop feeding them happy meals and other junk food? Maybe we wouldn't have such a problem then.

  • japanesegoth

    Posted Jul 14, 2009 12:25 pm PT

    or maybe public schools should do more to get kids to be more active in their PE class. all through elementary school there was only ever 1 fat kid in our class. but whatever, as long as it works...let them keep playing ddr.

  • teknicz

    Posted Jul 14, 2009 12:25 pm PT

    Look at all these sarcastic comments. Apparently, what today's children don't lack is cynicism.

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