title: Pediatric Obesity: Is There Room for Active Video Games in Prevention or Management?
abstract: Children and adolescents spend a considerable amount of time engaged in sedentary behaviors that have been shown to favor weight gain and impaired physical fitness. Active video games have been proposed to increase physical activity levels. Although active video games may offer an interesting alternative to reducing sedentary time for children, the present commentary aimed to determine whether there is adequate evidence that compared active video gaming to real-life play and exercise. Given the dearth of data, it is not possible at present to support the use of active video games as substitutes for traditional forms of active play and health-enhancing physical activity. Further research should be encouraged and therapists should not consider active video games exclusively for intervention in children with obesity.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of the Metabolic Adaptations to Exercise Under Physiological and Pathological Conditions (Dr Thivel), Clermont Auvergne University, Aubière Cedex, and Auvergne Regional Center for Human Nutrition, Clermont-Ferrand, France; and Physiotherapy Department (Dr O'Malley), Temple Street Children's University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Thivel
authors.forename: Grace
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: OʼMalley
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000628:therapy*; D010809:Physical Fitness; D018910:Video Games