Therapeutic Video Games Lead to Higher Vegetable, Fruit Consumption

Gamer:



A BS study with BS conclusions and a BS headline. In sum, crap.

Preteen children who played video games formulated to change eating behaviors increased their intake of fruits and vegetables, according to a study published online December 7 and in the January 2011 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine...

"Serious video games offer promise of innovative channels for effective behavior change," write Tom Baranowski, PhD, from the Agricultural Research Service Children's Nutrition Research Center, US Department of Agriculture, at the Baylor College of Medicine, in Houston, Texas, and colleagues. "Once a child's attention has been attracted, modeling, tailoring, and feedback can increase personal relevance; in addition, games add fun."

The study consisted of 133 children, aged 10 to 12 years, with body mass indexes between the 50th and 95th percentiles. Using computers on loan from the investigators, 103 participants played 2 games, "Escape From Diab" and "Nanoswarm: Invasion From Inner Space," both of which were designed using theories of social cognition, self determination, and persuasion.

The control group of 50 children played games with diet and physical activity themes found on popular Web sites. Each group underwent 4 weight, body composition, and physical activity assessments at the study's onset, immediately after completion of Escape From Diab, immediately after Nanoswarm, and 2 months after the trial. Participants were paid $25 for the first evaluation, with $5 more added incrementally to each of the subsequent reviews.

The children reported their food intake to registered dieticians. Game-playing was verified through the children's email messages, call-in questions, and equipment repair requests.

Video Games "Hold Promise"

A repeated measures analysis of covariance resulted in the following findings:

children playing Escape From Diab and Nanoswarm ate 0.67 more servings per day of fruits (including 100% juice) and vegetables (P = .018) than those in the control group;
the games had no significant relationship with increased water intake (P = .116); and
the games did not result in greater moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (P = .496) or lower body mass index (P = .107).

"Fruit and vegetable intake and water consumption and physical activity were still below the minimum recommendations, indicating that more work is needed," the authors write.

The researchers stated several limitations to their study, as follows:

self-reporting was used to collect most measures, including fruit and vegetable intake;
differences in key measures at the study's onset may have prevented the discernment of some changes;
the sample size, limited by the funding agency, was underpowered to measure some outcome effects;
the degree to which monetary incentives motivated the players to finish games is not known; and
sedentary behavior increased slightly in the group playing Escape From Diab and Nanoswarm.

"Serious video games hold promise, but their effectiveness and mechanisms of change among youth need to be investigated more thoroughly," the authors write.

"Research is needed on the optimal design of video game components to maximize change."

What needs to be researched is the likely IMHO criminal ruse used by these researchers to get funded.