Year in summary - video game sales reach record levels

Video game sales are projected to grow nearly 10% this year, to reach a record of $18.5billion. With teenagers being a substantial portion of buyers of video game entertainment, the hope that the physical activity promotion message may have taken a foothold among youth over the past year, seems misplaced.

It does not help the physical activity promotion cause, when video games receive positive media coverage. A recent headline on CNN.com read as follows: "Study: Playing video games not so mindless".

The report cited a study from the University of Rochester, which involved measuring one single outcome - visual skills - of players and non-players of video games. Among the small number of subjects that took part (16people in one study, 17 in another), CNN reported the video game players "kept better track of objects appearing simultaneously". A counter-point to the 'positives' of video game playing - the negatives of the violent and aggressive nature of some games - was provided. What CNN did not mention is the substantial detriment regular video game playing will have on a young person's physical health.

While video games may not lessen the mind, they certainly lessen the body's ability to perform physical work. Children and teenagers who regularly substitute video games for sports and outdoor play compromise their physical health - aerobic and anaerobic fitness, strength, flexibility, muscular endurance, and a healthy body weight.

Think for a moment about the cumulative effect of the time spent playing video games. A child or teenager who is a heavy user of video games - defined here as 3 hours per day - logs 1092 hours per year. In comparison, a young person involved in sports training for just half that time per day - will enjoy a level of physical fitness much higher than that of his or her peers.

Parents, teenagers, and children deserve information on the very real benefits (dose-response benefits) that accrue to young people who are physically active. In media reports on video games, sedentary activity that is a direct outcome of this form of entertainment is worthy of mentioning.

The wholesale substitution of video games for exercise should not be ignored. Instead, from a physical health standpoint, a balance between regular exercise and relaxation should be encouraged.

Darren Dale
Health, Fitness & Nutrition Section Editor

Year in summary - government support for physical activity

President Bush announced a 'Healthier US Initiative' that includes actions in the areas of physical activity, nutrition, preventive screenings, and making healthy choices with respect to saying 'no' to tobacco and drugs.

As part of this initiative, $15million in funding is being made available to fund community and school interventions that target obesity, diabetes, and asthma. With respect to the first two conditions, exercise and good nutrition each play a major factor in decreasing the risk of these conditions.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (at the forefront of major reports on physical activity recommendations over the past decade) - have made concerted efforts in the past year to convey to the public in an informative and simple manner, the importance of regular physical activity. The new web site is thorough and provides a wealth of information for people at all levels of physical activity participation.

The federal government is in the process of considering changes to the current nutritional recommendations for the American public. New versions of Dietary Guidelines and the USDA Food Guide Pyramid are due out in 2005. The Food Pyramid has come under scrutiny in recent times, due to the Pyramid's lack of distinction between (a) saturated and unsaturated fats, and (b) whole-grain and refined carbohydrates. The government is also planning to change food label requirements in order to provide consumers with information on the amount of harmful trans fatty acids in foods. A corresponding informational campaign on the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids would also assist people to make healthier food choices.