Video games and obesity: is there a link?

This Christmas the video games industry is expected to sell millions of video games in the UK alone.

With a large proportion of those likely to be gifts for children, child development specialist James Taylor looks at whether the gaming industry can be held accountable for the rising childhood obesity epidemic in the UK.

One of the biggest public health challenges in the 21st century is growing obesity in children. With one in four homes in the UK owning a games console , there has been much said about whether the popularity of video and computer games can be blamed for the rising obesity levels among children in the UK. It use to be too much TV time was to blame, but now with the widespread availability of consoles that let you play and interact online without leaving your house, it’s now video games that seem to be public enemy number one.

It’s claimed that around a third of children in Britain are overweight or obese and that by 2020 the proportion of boys aged 2-11 who will be overweight or obese will be 30%.  Although much of this can be blamed on diet, a sedentary lifestyle is a contributing factor.

With new games scheduled to come out this Christmas and additional temptation on the market to stay indoors, children are spending more and more time in front of a screen and in a virtual world instead of exercising and getting active.

It is understandable therefore that people question whether the video game phenomenon is to blame for the inactive lifestyles that children of the 21st century now lead. 

Some of the big names in the console industry are trying to combat the bad image of computer and video games by introducing games which encourage movement and let players interact more. Take Nintendo Wii, there are now ‘sports’ games on the market that let you jump up and down and throw a virtual javelin, as well as ‘balance boards’ which you stand on and try different activities such as skiing, balance training and step aerobics. So at least the tide is turning slightly in a healthy direction. But it isn’t easy making a computer game more active, as they are always going to be associated with sitting in front of a screen.

Some polls point to the parents as a cause of the lack of activity amongst children.  British families are increasingly living a couch potato lifestyle. Research carried out by health and care company BUPA uncovered that more than half (61%) of British teenagers think they don't spend enough time being active with their family with most blaming their parents for their family's inactivity with a third of them citing their parents' lack of time as the reason.

Even more worrying is that over a third of Britain's mums and dads were unaware of the recommended activity levels for children. According to leading health specialists, children should be participating in at last 60 minutes of physical activity each day, but at least four out of ten boys and six out of ten girls fail to reach this target. So is it that in order to get kids off the couch and into physical activity, they need inspiration from their parents who should set an example for their children to follow.

Spending too much time on video games can not only contribute to a lack of physical activity but can also hamper young children’s ability to learn important life skills. Interest in sports leads to a desire to participate in it in some way, it teaches teamwork, communication skills, leadership and self confidence. Competition between teams can breed a number of emotional reactions depending on the outcome. Winning reinforces self-esteem and self-confidence. However, you can learn a lot more from losing, since losing results in the search for a reason.

It is also a case of educating children about the importance of maintaining a healthy balanced diet. Most people will recall Jamie Oliver’s ‘School Dinners Campaign’ and if children are having packed lunches,  parents need to aim for healthier options such sandwiches and fruit not cake bars and crisps. Many of the leading supermarkets now offer ready packed healthier alternatives for busy parents unable to make homemade packed lunches.

If we are to tackle the growing obesity problem, it needs to be part of a much larger campaign where the government, schools and parents all combine. Schools need to help lead the way by educating children about the importance of leading healthy lifestyles, making sport more appealing and opening up a wide range of sports that are going to have greater appeal.

Pressure also needs to be placed on the current legislation to ensure that all children have access to at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day. A huge amount of pressure is placed upon academic results and achievements, however without health we have nothing and long term health is the key to long term achievement.

Higher levels of physical activity among children and young people, together with much healthier eating patterns, are the key to averting the potential catastrophic effects of the obesity epidemic which is beginning to emerge. Although it is not a crime for children to play video games, a balance between video games and physical activity needs to be achieved if childhood obesity is set to be eliminated.

Child development specialist James Taylor is the founder and managing director of SportStars, a company which specialises in providing high quality sports coaching in schools and spreading the benefits and pleasures of sport.

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