Medical study links games to obesity

sbp · 07-01-2004, 04:57 PM

*gasp* you mean if some Fatty Arbuckle sits around playing videogames all day they could get fat?

http://www.gamespot.com/all/news/news_6101806.html

Quote:

Swiss researchers find a "strong association" between playing games and childhood weight gain.

Anti-game activists got more ammo yesterday, thanks to a Swiss study that partially blamed video games for childhood obesity. In a press release, the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University Hospital Zurich announced the findings of a joint study which will be published in next month's scintillating issue of Obesity Research.

The study surveyed 872 children in first, second, and third grades in 10 schools in northeastern Switzerland. It measured several factors, including: age, sex, nationality, number of siblings, smoking status of parents, television programs regularly watched, breakfast consumption, watching television during meals, snacking while watching television, and the amount of time subjects played electronic games.

Despite the numerous factors involved, researchers said "Obesity was independently associated with the time spent playing electronic games and the time spent watching television." However, the researchers release gave no specific evidence why games made kids more likely to be obese other than they were "inversely associated with physical activity."

Interestingly, the study also found that foreign children living in Switzerland, where the per capita chocolate consumption is 21 pounds per year (twice the US average), were "twice as likely to be obese than Swiss children." The study attributed Swiss children's relative slimness to cultural differences, but did not mention yodeling, clog dancing, or alpine sports specifically.

heh

Greedy lawyer with distraught parent: its the deep pocketed videogame companies fault. Yes, warning labels need to be put on games.

Apex · 07-01-2004, 05:04 PM

They definitely should! And the labels must be very very big, not the small, hard to read kind like the pre-lawsuit McDonald's coffee cup labels.

ialsohaveadream · 07-01-2004, 06:02 PM

The cover should look kinda like this:

PLAYING THIS GAME WILL MAKE YOU FAT!
Grand Theft Auto: Dunkin Donuts

Apex · 07-01-2004, 06:16 PM

Haha.

Nija · 07-01-2004, 06:51 PM

Doesn't have anything to do with sitting there and drinking heavily caffienated drinks. . .

Just remember Doom and Marilyn Manson killed those kids at Columbine!

It also says watching a lot of tv makes you a fat ass.

Bah

Apex · 07-01-2004, 07:09 PM

No wonder I've been gaining weight. Hmm.... I wonder who I can sue...

Cubsfan · 07-01-2004, 07:17 PM

Could it go the other way? Fat kids are more likely to play games? Not people who play games are more likey to be fat. If that's the case, then maybe there should be a warning on Oreo cookies... "WARNING. EATING THESE MAY CAUSE YOU TO PLAY VIDEO GAMES"

kei2 · 07-01-2004, 07:40 PM

I think it certainly could. If you become obese, physical activity becomes more difficult. If physical activity becomes less feasible, television and video games begin to comprise a larger fraction of possible activities.

ialsohaveadream · 07-01-2004, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Apex

No wonder I've been gaining weight. Hmm.... I wonder who I can sue...

Go ahead and sue the maker of your plasma TV. Of course, to make the case look legit, you'll need to get the offending TV out of your house. You can send it to me, and to show what a nice guy I am...I'll pay for shipping.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kei2

I think it certainly could. If you become obese, physical activity becomes more difficult. If physical activity becomes less feasible, television and video games begin to comprise a larger fraction of possible activities.

Actually, you're right. You would think people would become more motivated to exercise as they gain weight, but the opposite is true. I've noticed it in children, adults, and seniors. That's part of the reason I started a free track club.

~~Cantacuzene~~ · 07-01-2004, 10:32 PM

All the Everquest players are skewing the averages.

cheapie · 07-02-2004, 06:25 AM

in other news, THE SUN MAKES YOU HOT!

Showtime · 07-02-2004, 10:00 AM

Kids are fatter nowadays. A lot of it has to do with all the home entertainment (Games, movies, MTV, etc). Mostly it has to do with their eating habits. This goes for all people. If you have a weight problem and its not "glandular"

then it's food.
Replace the Chips O'hoy and Mountain Dew with some fruit and water. Moderation, it works.

-jel

Bires · 07-02-2004, 11:03 AM

[Belushi with cig in hand]
"I've trained a lot for that day, and I've dunked a lot of doughnuts..."
[/Belushi]

I think we are thinking about this all wrong...what we need is video gamers that are do devoted/addicted to video games that they don't have time to eat.

maybe games that glamorize certain eating disorders...

mcs328 · 07-02-2004, 11:15 AM

No wonder people keep telling me to get off my fat ass...

07-01-2004, 05:04 PM	#2
Apex Can you hear me now? Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Here Posts: 5,506	They definitely should! And the labels must be very very big, not the small, hard to read kind like the pre-lawsuit McDonald's coffee cup labels. __________________ The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance - it is the illusion of knowledge. Daniel J. Boorstin (1914 - )

07-01-2004, 06:51 PM	#5
Nija Chief of Naval Operations Join Date: May 2001 Location: City of The Dead Posts: 13,552	Doesn't have anything to do with sitting there and drinking heavily caffienated drinks. . . Just remember Doom and Marilyn Manson killed those kids at Columbine! It also says watching a lot of tv makes you a fat ass. Bah __________________ "Nija is the dark soul of gotapex. We don't like to talk about him." - LPMiller

07-02-2004, 06:25 AM	#11
cheapie Chief of Naval Operations Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: raising my pimp hand strong Posts: 13,038	in other news, THE SUN MAKES YOU HOT! __________________ 70% of the world is covered by water. The rest is covered by Bob Sanders

07-02-2004, 10:00 AM	#12
Showtime Lakers fanatic Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: L.A. ->SoCal<- O.C. Posts: 7,338	Kids are fatter nowadays. A lot of it has to do with all the home entertainment (Games, movies, MTV, etc). Mostly it has to do with their eating habits. This goes for all people. If you have a weight problem and its not "glandular" then it's food. Replace the Chips O'hoy and Mountain Dew with some fruit and water. Moderation, it works. -jel __________________ NBA REPORT 10-11/ The 3-Peat! 1948 1949 1950 1952 1953 1954 1972 1980 1982 1985 1987 1988 2000 2001 2002 2009 2010 Reigning NBA CHAMPS!

07-02-2004, 11:03 AM	#13
Bires Admiral Join Date: May 2000 Posts: 5,064	[Belushi with cig in hand] "I've trained a lot for that day, and I've dunked a lot of doughnuts..." [/Belushi] I think we are thinking about this all wrong...what we need is video gamers that are do devoted/addicted to video games that they don't have time to eat. maybe games that glamorize certain eating disorders... __________________ Five years...

07-01-2004, 06:02 PM	#3
ialsohaveadream Fleet Admiral Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: FL Posts: 8,077	The cover should look kinda like this: PLAYING THIS GAME WILL MAKE YOU FAT! Grand Theft Auto: Dunkin Donuts

07-01-2004, 06:16 PM	#4
Apex Can you hear me now? Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Here Posts: 5,506	Haha.

07-01-2004, 07:09 PM	#6
Apex Can you hear me now? Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Here Posts: 5,506	No wonder I've been gaining weight. Hmm.... I wonder who I can sue...

07-01-2004, 07:17 PM	#7
Cubsfan Rear Admiral Lower Half Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Colorado Posts: 2,743	Could it go the other way? Fat kids are more likely to play games? Not people who play games are more likey to be fat. If that's the case, then maybe there should be a warning on Oreo cookies... "WARNING. EATING THESE MAY CAUSE YOU TO PLAY VIDEO GAMES"

07-01-2004, 07:40 PM	#8
kei2 Rear Admiral Lower Half Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 2,102	I think it certainly could. If you become obese, physical activity becomes more difficult. If physical activity becomes less feasible, television and video games begin to comprise a larger fraction of possible activities.

07-01-2004, 10:32 PM	#10
~~Cantacuzene~~ Banned Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Atlanta, Georgia, USA Posts: 8,700	All the Everquest players are skewing the averages.

07-02-2004, 11:15 AM	#14
mcs328 Admiral Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Maryland Posts: 6,578	No wonder people keep telling me to get off my fat ass... __________________

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