Video games have been named as a main cause of obesity in the young by a World Health Organization study.
One-third of children living in different parts of the world are obese, said the study published in the Journal of Pediatrics.
It reported over 70,000 teenagers from 34 different nations are overweight or obese. It called a sedentary lifestyle - 'spending three hours or more per day watching TV, playing computer games, or chatting with friends' - is the main reason behind the figure.
Only 25 percent of the boys and 15 percent of the girls get enough exercise, said the report.
"With regards to physical activity levels, we did not find much of a difference between poor and rich countries," said WHO official Regina Guthold, adding that "growing up in a poor country does not necessarily mean that kids get more physical activity."
The report comes after a Government-commissioned reportfound video games were 'sexualising children'.
Be warned, then: Mario can make your offspring a corpulent, Jordan wannabe. Yeah, right...
Comments
51 comments so far...
bigroy on 3 Apr '10 said:
In reaction to this I've just checked the nutritional info on the back of Final Fantasy XIII. To my horror there was no indication that these things could cause me to put on weight.
I've got eaters guilt now - I ate 4 copies of MW2 last night.
sleazeboy on 3 Apr '10 said:
"With regards to physical activity levels, we did not find much of a difference between poor and rich countries," said WHO official Regina Guthold, adding that "growing up in a poor country does not necessarily mean that kids get more physical activity."
Surely kids in poorer countries are less likely to own a console, yet there is little difference to their likelihood of becoming obese?
Typical of the ongoing witch-hunt to blame consoles for all of societies ills, disappointing that the W.H.O. jumps on the bandwagon though. I expect it of the rags that pass for papers and the likes of the Alan t**tmarch show, but i would expect an independent body of some repute to be a little more objective.
GTCzeero on 3 Apr '10 said:
Yep, last night Just Cause 2 actually force fed me a piece of cake. I was shocked and appalled... good cake though.
tmalamute on 3 Apr '10 said:
Right I'll clear this up for you real quick -
Parents cause childhood fatties -
Food industry - sells fatty food.
Military and governments cause violence -
Video games - show what's going on in the world mixed with fantasy and good times.
So who should we be wary of ?
Parents and the government.
They have control of the kids do they not?
Adult gamers unite and tell the folks to keep off our backs.....
Rothepony on 3 Apr '10 said:
That headline made me laugh. I just imagined a child happily playing videogames then BLAM he puts on an incredible 12 stone!!!! I wonder what games will be blamed for next.....Katie Price perhaps?
mogel94 on 3 Apr '10 said:
This is a load of bull, I bet i could beat anyone of those douches in a game of thumb wars!
lordirongut on 3 Apr '10 said:
A new scientific study has confirmed that videogames were also the main cause of World War 2 after Adolf Hitler played too much Xbox 360.
Julie Peasgood herself said so.
Lloyd12 on 3 Apr '10 said:
To parents: Get your stupid, fat kid off the couch and take some responsibility for his/her health.
NEOnburN9 on 3 Apr '10 said:
Lol you mentioning Hitler playing video games just reminded me of the Hitler video (scene out of Valkyrie) when Infinity Ward announced no dedicated servers on MW2.
Awesome stuff...for all that have not seen it here is the link...enjoy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FKty5Kpf4w
Mr S0L0 D0L0 on 3 Apr '10 said:
I spend more than 3 hours a day on a computer or watching TV, I'm not obese. The only thing I can think of is that all that masturbating is burning off a lot of calories. Maybe we should teach the kids that masturbation is a good way to fight obesity.
monkfish82 on 3 Apr '10 said:
bloody goverment studies are really p**sing me off, taking away the fun from things like drinking and/or smoking. maybe parents should be sending ouside to do s**t rather than letting them sit down for hours at a time playing games or watching tv. hell they could even try getting them to pick up a book once in a while. oh and fat kids annoy me as well
JuiKuen on 3 Apr '10 said:
And apparently around 67,000 kids bunk off school each day too. I reckon that's the fault of videogames too, right?
duncanskuse on 3 Apr '10 said:
Seems fair if somewhat obvious. Not really sure that's a reason to swear at them though.
lonewolf2002 on 3 Apr '10 said:
Stamp collecting, cinemas, coin collecting, board games etc etc etc.
Funny how 1 minute the govt says it will support the video games industry in the UK, then reports like this keep springing up.
Now wheres my foil hat...........
almanac2015 on 3 Apr '10 said:
Headline: Lack of exercise causing child obesity.
Games are fun, so they offer an alternative to sports for example. They don't cause child obesity at all, they just make it easier for people to sit around too long.
Only reason s**t like this isn't directed at the TV so much now is because so many people watch TV reportsl ike this would be laughed off.
immy46 on 3 Apr '10 said:
I wonder if there are any fatty's in the CVG office - who eats all the pie's guys?.
Ror1984 on 3 Apr '10 said:
Another salvo fired in the war against personal responsibility!
I foresee a future where every choice we make can be blamed on someone or something else if it backfires or somehow goes wrong. You know, it'll be a bit like the US.
CrispyLog on 3 Apr '10 said:
Surely gaming is one of the least fattening activities you can do. When I'm gaming I'm not eating or snacking or drinking because I'm fully concentrated on the game and my hands are full. But if I'm watching telly or a DVD I'll have some nuts or some crisps and maybe some beers. If I go to the cinema or to the football again I'll be eating.
immy46 on 3 Apr '10 said:
Roll the Wii Fit For Fat Kids campaign.
alan666 on 3 Apr '10 said:
wrong!
children are not allowed to play outside anymore due to health/safety issues & pedo's.
children are not fat because mom's cannot be bothered to cook anymore & just serve up frozen crap with chips.
children spend more time watching actual tv & surfing the internet than actually playing games.
most games are brought for children by adults (parents) as its a cheap form of entertainment ie parents are to tired/lazy to play with their children.
games don't make children fat, MacDonalds - KFC - Pizza Hut - Subway do (OM NOM NOM NOM)
Wii Fit
bchaos1976 on 3 Apr '10 said:
Surely it's a lack of exercise and a poor diet that causes obesity. When I was younger I would play as much on my Spectrum/Amstrad/Amiga as I could. I also was out playing various sports.
It was only after I stopped playing sports, got a job in an office and would buy my lunch from Asda that i turned into a fat bassa.
So I conclude that jobs where you sit on your arse all day cause obesity.
newsinthefield on 3 Apr '10 said:
I'm a thoroughly-engrossed teenage gamer and I'm on the verge of anorexia.
Ollie2113 on 3 Apr '10 said:
They also sited talking with friends. This is a major problem with kids these days.
farmer_boy on 3 Apr '10 said:
my PS3 is upstairs, my fridge is downstairs, I cant be in two places at once, or eat and play at the same time, i dont do multitasking :/
churchy on 3 Apr '10 said:
So if you exercise well and eat a good diet BUT play video games then you will still be obese!. Man who would've thought?!
You know what I also heard sitting down causes Obesity too!
revdogma on 3 Apr '10 said:
What make me laugh the most about all this finger pointing is visualizing the people and their life styles that actually believe this stuff.
Then visualizing their off-spring and spouse.
Kezwar on 3 Apr '10 said:
I think they have a point
sonic_uk on 3 Apr '10 said:
What activities the kid decides to do in their spare time has nothing to do with it. Watching Tv, playing games, reading a book etc does not automatically make you fat. The only two things that causes kids to get fat are over-eating and a lack of excersise combined.
ace9846 on 3 Apr '10 said:
vagina boob
nutella on 3 Apr '10 said:
hey. u cant eat games. just make ur kid eat an apple while playing, instead of hot chips. nooby parents and experts. im 16 and i know better. just make the kid run around after. the end dont let em eat and play all day. i was playing for like 5 hrs yesterday on halo 3, and i was eating but i also got up and relaxed and got off. experts are losers cuz their parents didnt let em play when they were younger. so they wanna ruin int 4 the rest of us. party poopers
wwinterj on 4 Apr '10 said:
Chatting with friends is the reason kids are fat?
Well I gues kids should not have friends in that case right?
TV, Movies and Video games cause kids to be fat?
No TV, Vodeo games or movies then.
So in order for kids to not get fat they must have no friends or at least not talk to them and never go near the TV. What else is a kid supposed to do?
Lock themself in a room with there head in a book to not get fat? What a dull life. We all know this is a load of rubbish people(not just kids) get fat because of there metabolism or all the junk food they eat.
Next you will be telling me "you get cancer from playing video games". These studys are nothing but time wasting.
YouGuysRock7 on 4 Apr '10 said:
I play video games and I'm chiseled like a GREEK GOD! Fat people need a good kick up the a**! It's all about moderation.
'Get some exercise and maintain a healthy diet. Don't blame video games!'
SICARIUS1 on 4 Apr '10 said:
Cooking mama made my friend die of cholesterol. Bitch.
dangermou5e on 4 Apr '10 said:
See its not the video games that have made me fat its the 10 cans of lager and a large meat feast pizza that i like to have whilst gaming
filth87 on 4 Apr '10 said:
Books make kids fat.
Sirini on 4 Apr '10 said:
It did not say games caused childhood obesity, it said a sedentary lifestyle (which include games) causes childhood obesity. You can't really deny that.
Journalism at it's finist.
piccadillio on 4 Apr '10 said:
Correlation is not causation. Child obesity is caused by poor parenting, which can also be blamed for kids playing games for too long.
Any study that gets published in the press is going to be a poor study 9 times out of 10. c**ts.
kimoak on 4 Apr '10 said:
The reason for child obesity is this... FOOD!! COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF FOOD! THIS HOLE HERE *Points to mouth* IS BIGGER THEN THIS HOLE HERE!!! *Points to ar$e*
alexkidd on 4 Apr '10 said:
It's all Microsofts fault
If they didn't make their machine so prone to overheating then i wouldn't have had to install it in my fridge.
also i comfort eat and nothing depresses me more than getting shot in the virtual face.
mafiahobo on 4 Apr '10 said:
in reality obeasity isn't a real problem because with just 1 years hard work you can become a body builder. now if the study showed 25% of teenage boys and 15% of teenage girls had aids then i might care
jamie1 on 4 Apr '10 said:
Laziness is the cause of obesity. I play games and im not fat..I wonder why?
Gaseous Snake on 4 Apr '10 said:
MASTURBATING GEORGE BUSH LOOKALIKE!
Now that I've got your attention, journalist morons (not you, CVG, you're alright) I have a little (true) story to tell;
I'm 14, and, during holidays, I spend my time gaming (6 hours a day), watching TV (5 hours a day), sleeping (10 hours a day), and eating (just under 2 hours a day). I can go through half a loaf of bread for breakfast. And, here's the kicker- I'm (according to the government) underweight!
STICK THAT IN YOUR CRAP-SPREADING PIPE AND SMOKE IT!
Gamers 1, People who waste thousands at the gym then die jogging 0.
Desaima on 4 Apr '10 said:
Newsflash! Remarks on lifestyle choices detract trust from all institutions.
Because that's all it is. An innacurate one.
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360365 on 5 Apr '10 said:
Do ya think Jabba the hutt plays video games too? Pass me some more chickem Jabba..
Marlonjb on 5 Apr '10 said:
As well! Christ I thought they were behind Rape and child porn as well! god video games are evil!
On a more serious note.
This is all 100% bull.
SavageEvil on 6 Apr '10 said:
Lol, it took how much money to come up with stupid and obviously biased result? I'm pretty sure that they got government grants to perform this "unbiased" study. Obesity is more or less genetically driven, some people can eat like horses and never put on weight like others who eat considerably less. There are other factors that increase the rate at which you gain weight, the biggest is bad eating habits coupled with a sedentary lifestyle. Majority of humans need quite a bit of aerobic activity in order to remain healthy, without it your body will begin to prematurely deteriorate, i.e. put on weight, loss of musculature, loss of lung capacity...video games cannot be blamed for childhood obesity, if there were no videogames around, the scape goat would be television cartoons( i think they blamed cartoons during the weekdays years ago). On a serious note, aren't most gamers over 21 years of age? The gamers I know in real life, aren't even over weight, well based on visual representation(BMI says otherwise, called me overweight 6ft 187lbs of muscle. Said at my height I should weigh 172, that's incredibly skinny anorexic for my build. Society is clearly insane and obsessed with image, so much so that it's the cause of obesity...all those girls who don't look like a model, freak out and drown their sorrows in food. That'll show 'em. The media and society is slowly destroying the weaker one's among us and leading to all sorts of ridiculous behaviors. Everything has a cause and effect, both good and bad. Parents need to take responsibility for their offspring, and not just when the government assistance checks come in.
xXuber-ps3-pwnXx on 6 Apr '10 said:
*A Really Fat Guy who works for the Government stationed in an office slowly put's down his telephone with a short, yet wicked grin on his face,
"THE PIES have ARRIVED EVERYBODY!"
PS3_fannyboy on 7 Apr '10 said:
Gotta say the PS3 is the biggest culprit in me not getting to the gym if I'm honest...
TV can wait but when I've got a new game sitting at home I manage to find all manner of excuses why I shouldn't spend 90 mins of my evening in the gym - which is incidentally only 5 mins walk from my flat...
It's not just gaming that's to blame of course but I gotta say that my mates who are more into boxing and martial arts are on the whole a much trimmer bunch than all my gaming buddies from the forensic lab at work...
PS3_fannyboy on 7 Apr '10 said:
I blame games for Kate Price!
A curse on Lara Croft!
Tazadoobii on 9 Apr '10 said:
Ahh yet another blamer... I'll give you some problems I and other teens may face..
S**t area, poor facilities, scum bags who bunk off school and generally ruin the area.. No feeling of security.. Police are known to be pretty poor at everything.. But here, they don't do anything..
I'm naturally large, but people call me big build. I can live with that. This society is making everyone remotely different feel like a nothing.. Is it any surprise people spend so long on games consoles?
Here's something to halt their blame process.. Do they ever blame anyone for the flop of spelling teens produce? Teens who don't spend 10 minutes on a games console and who just go out vandalizing, or teens who just go out all day.
I'm pretty confident it's hard to come by a teen who spells as well as I do. I do a lot of reading (books and online articles like this one) and actually read the subtitles that are along the bottom of most games.
Sorry but the government really need to sort out their priorities and stop blaming the game industry for the obesity of teens.. It really isn't on when there are many more things which need a lot more attention than this little case.
Ohh yeh, look at how many game companies are based here in the UK. If it wasn't for them, the UK would be known for nothing, relatively speaking.
Why is it always the gaming industry that get blamed?
Taz.