Video game playing children and young people are not fatter according to study
Video games do not appear to significantly contribute to obesity. This is according to a report by researchers who analyzed 20 studies published in the journal *Social Science & Medicine*.
According to the study, adults who play computer or video games are slightly fatter than non-gamers, but the effect is small. The researchers from Würzburg (Germany) and Linz (Austria) found no correlation at all in children and adolescents.
Less than one percent of body weight in adults can be attributed to video games, report researchers led by Caroline Marker from the Institute for Human-Computer Media at the University of Würzburg. "The results do not confirm the assumption of a strong correlation between video games and body weight."
For the study, the scientists only looked at games in which people sit and press buttons. According to other studies, active games with larger movements that are transferred to the screen, such as bowling or dancing, can even prevent obesity. According to a meta-analysis from 2015, they can be just as beneficial for the health of children and young people as outdoor exercise.
In addition, a recent motor skills study in Germany showed that children who play games do not necessarily move less. However, children and young people are generally moving less and less. According to the study, everyday physical activity in the group of 4 to 17-year-olds has fallen by more than a third (37%) over the past twelve years.
The researchers do not know why gambling is associated with a slight increase in weight in adults but not in adolescents. "It is possible that these are cumulative effects," says first author Marker. Mechanisms that lead to weight gain tend to work over longer periods of time. It is possible that adults have spent more time playing video games over the years than adolescents, who are often only involved in video games for a short period of time.
Studies show that TV couch potatoes can put on quite a bit of weight. The new meta-analysis does not provide a clear answer to the question of why this is not the case for gamers. The authors have several possible explanations: One is that gaming consumes more energy than watching TV, despite sitting. On the other hand, nibbling is easier when watching TV than when gaming. In addition, TV advertising could tempt us to eat high-calorie foods. (SDA)
