Active Video Games Don't Make Kids Exercise More

[wraggster]

Researchers from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, designed every kid's dream study (http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2012/02/22/peds.2011-2050.abstract): they passed out Wii consoles to 78 kids who didn't already have one, and gave half the kids their choice of active game — such as Wii Sports or Dance Dance Revolution-Hottest Party 3 — and the other half their choice of inactive game, such as Disney Sing-It Pop Hits or Super Mario Galaxy. The research team tracked the youngsters for 13 weeks, testing their physical activity levels with a motion-measuring accelerometer. Participants wore the devices on a belt during four different week-long periods throughout the study, which allowed the research team to determine when they were sedentary or lightly exercising and when they were engaged in moderate-to-vigorous exercise. Accelerometer logs showed that throughout the study period, kids with the active games didn't get any more exercise than those given inactive video games (http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/305191/20120227/active-video-games-kids-exercise.htm). There was also no difference in minutes spent doing light physical activity or being sedentary during any week the researchers monitored."

http://games.slashdot.org/story/12/02/27/1518213/active-video-games-dont-make-kids-exercise-more