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Youth
New entry in Digiplay games research bibliography:
This study aims at critically reviewing recently published scientific literature on the use of computer and video games in Health Education (HE) and Physical Education (PE) with a view: (a) to identifying the potential contribution of the incorporation of electronic games as educational tools into HE and PE programs, (b) to present a synthesis of the available empirical evidence on the educational effectiveness of electronic games in HE and PE, and (c) to define future research perspectives concerning the educational use of electronic games in HE and PE. After systematically searching online bibliographic databases, 34 relevant articles were located and included in the study. Following the categorization scheme proposed by [Dempsey, J., Rasmussen, K., & Lucassen, B. (1996). The instructional gaming literature: Implications and 99 sources. University of South Alabama, College of Education, Technical Report No. 96-1], those articles were grouped into the following four categories: (a) research, (b) development, (c) discussion and (d) theory. The overviewed articles suggest that electronic games present many potential benefits as educational tools for HE and PE, and that those games may improve young people's knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviours in relation to health and physical exercise. Furthermore, the newly emerged physically interactive electronic games can potentially enhance young people's physical fitness, motor skills and motivation for physical exercise. The empirical evidence to support the educational effectiveness of electronic games in HE and PE is still rather limited, but the findings present a positive picture overall. The outcomes of the literature review are discussed in terms of their implications for future research, and can provide useful guidance to educators, practitioners and researchers in the areas of HE and PE, and to electronic game designers.
New entry in Digiplay games research bibliography:
Increasing exposure of children and adolescents to electronic media is a worldwide phenomenon, including in Thailand. To date, few studies examine electronic game play in Thai adolescents. Our research describes the prevalence of electronic game play and examines associations between the time spent engaged in electronic game play and school performance of adolescents in Hat-Yai municipality. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,492 adolescents from four secondary schools and one commercial college from January through March 2007, using questionnaires for collecting information about demographic data, school grades, and electronic game play behaviors. The prevalence of electronic game play was 75% in boys and 59% in girls. Twenty-two percent of boys and 8.7% of girls played electronic games every day with more than 2 hours per session. The two most common places of game play were at game shops (71%), followed by at their own home (70%). Using linear regression analysis, the "low user or less than 2 hours per session" game players and females were less likely to have school grades below 3.00 with adjusted odds ratios of 0.44 (95% CI 0.25-0.80, p = 0.004) and 0.49 (95% CI 0.30-0.76, p = 0.005) respectively. This study finds that excessive playing of electronic games is associated with school grades below 3.00.
New entry in Digiplay games research bibliography:
The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the effect of a weekly multiplayer class on the motivation of children aged 9-12 years to play an interactive dance simulation video game (IDSVG) at home over a period of 12 weeks. A sample of 27 children was randomly assigned to (1) a home group instructed to play the IDSVG at home; (2) a multiplayer group instructed to play the IDSVG at home and to participate in a weekly IDSVG multiplayer class. Participants were asked to play the IDSVG as often as they liked and report the playing time daily on a calendar for a 12-week period. Motivation to play was assessed by the playing duration of IDSVG in minutes and the dropout during the study. Mean age of the 16 children who completed the study was 10.6 $\pm$0.8 years. During the 12-week intervention period, the multiplayer group played approximately twice as many minutes (901 min) as the home group (376 min, p = 0.13). Dropout was significantly (p = 0.02) lower in the multiplayer group (15\%) than in the home group (64\%). Our findings suggest that multiplayer classes may increase children's motivation to play interactive dance simulation video games. \copyright2007 Sports Medicine Australia.
New entry in Digiplay games research bibliography:
Objective: To assess developmental trends in physical activity and sedentary behaviour in British adolescents in relation to sex, ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES).Design: A 5-year longitudinal study of a diverse cohort of students aged 11 - 12 years at baseline in 1999.Setting: 36 London schools sampled using a stratified random sampling procedure.Participants: A total of 5863 students categorised as white, black or Asian, and stratified for SES using the Townsend Index.Main outcome measures: Number of days per week of vigorous activity leading to sweating and breathing hard. Hours of sedentary behaviour, including watching television and playing video games. Data were analysed using multilevel, linear, mixed models.Results: Marked reductions in physical activity and increases in sedentary behaviour were noticed between ages 11 - 12 and 15 - 16 years. Boys were more active than girls, and the decline in physical activity was greater in girls (46% reduction) than in boys (23%). Asian students were less active than whites, and this was also true of black girls but not boys. Black students were more sedentary than white students. Levels of sedentary behaviour were greater in respondents from lower SES. Most differences between ethnic and SES groups were present at age 11 years, and did not evolve over the teenage years.Conclusions: Physical activity declines and sedentary behaviour becomes more common during adolescence. Ethnic and SES differences are observed in physical activity and sedentary behaviour in British youth that anticipate adult variations in adiposity and cardiovascular disease risk. These are largely established by age 11 - 12 years, so reversing these patterns requires earlier intervention.
New entry in Digiplay games research bibliography:
Purpose: To describe longitudinal changes in leisure-time sedentary behavior among girls, during early to mid-adolescence. Methods: A 2.5-year prospective cohort study, comprising 5 data collections, 6 months apart, between 2000 and 2002. Girls aged 12-15 years (n = 200) from 8 high schools located in Sydney, Australia, self-reported the usual time spent each week in a comprehensive range of sedentary behaviors. Results: Retention rate for the study was 82%. Girls aged 12.8 years spent approximately 45% of their discretionary time in sedentary behavior, which increased to 63% at age 14.9 years. Watching TV, videos, and playing video games (small screen recreation; SSR) was the most popular sedentary pastime, accounting for 33% of time spent in sedentariness, followed by homework and reading (25%). Sedentary behavior increased 1.4 and 3.3 hours on week and weekend days, respectively. On weekdays, increased time was spent on hobbies (27 min/day) and on weekend days, increased time was spent sitting around talking with friends (60 min/day), computer use (37 min/day), and television viewing (34 min/day). Conclusions: Among girls, the transition between early and mid-adolescence was accompanied by a significant increase in leisure-time sedentary behavior. Interventions to reduce sedentariness among adolescent girls are best to focus on weekend behaviors. Studies seeking to examine the association between inactivity and the development of chronic health problems need to examine a diverse range of activities that comprehensively measure sedentariness. This information will provide a better understanding of inactivity patterns among adolescent girls.
New entry in Digiplay games research bibliography:
Families and children are in the midst of a media revolution. Television, Internet access, instant messaging, cell phones, and interactive video games are delivering more information for more hours than ever in history. Exposure is occurring at younger and younger ages, often without parental oversight or interpretation. The impact on children is just beginning to be studied. Does media exposure prepare children for the world in which they live or deprive them of critical developmental opportunities? Does the steady display of violence contribute to violent behavior? This article presents a developmental context, discusses the research conducted to date, reviews the recommendations of major organizations, and tries to take a balanced perspective in the midst of a rising tide of media, technology; commercialism, and controversy.
New entry in Digiplay games research bibliography:
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, I in 3 children born in 2000 in the United States will become diabetic. The odds are higher for African American and Hispanic children as nearly 50% of them will develop diabetes. Random screening is not effective in identifying children at risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM): therefore, there is a need to apply screening strategies that guide the development of appropriate primary prevention efforts. To assess the prevalence of risk factors for T2DM, 1066 fifth-grade children were screened using American Diabetes Association guidelines. Overall, 22.6% were found at risk; African American and Hispanic children were almost 8 times more likely, to be at risk when compared to Caucasians (odds ratio 7.41 and 7.87). Children who reported watching TV/playing video games 2 or more hours/day, were 73% more likely, to be at risk. Children identified to be at risk were referred to their primary care provider and were invited to participate in a counseling session. The environmental risk factors for T2DM identified in this study are modifiable and should be targeted in preventive interventions at the school and community level to reduce overweight and consequently prevent 72DM in children, especially among minority children.
New entry in Digiplay games research bibliography:
In this longitudinal study, we examined the relationship between changes in time spent watching television and playing video games with frequency of leisure-time physical activity across a 2-year period among adolescent boys and girls (N = 4594). Latent growth modelling indicated that a decrease in time spent watching television was associated with an increase in frequency of leisure-time physical activity. That relationship was strong in magnitude and independent of sex, socioeconomic status, smoking, and the value participants placed on health, appearance, and achievement. Our results encourage the design of interventions that reduce television watching as a possible means of increasing adolescent physical activity.
New entry in Digiplay games research bibliography:
Recent acts of extreme violence involving teens and associated links to violent video games have led to an increased interest in video game violence. Research suggests that violent video games influence aggressive behavior, aggressive affect, aggressive cognition, and physiological arousal. Anderson and Bushman have posited a General Aggression Model (GAM) to explain the mechanism behind the link between violent video games and aggressive behavior. However, the influence of violent video games as a function of developmental changes across adolescence has yet to be addressed. The purpose of this review is to integrate the GAM with developmental changes that occur across adolescence.
New entry in Digiplay games research bibliography:
Purpose: To evaluate the relationships between the time spent on sedentary activities (computer usage, video game playing, television viewing, and reading) and physical inactivity in a sample of youth (aged 12-19 years) from the 2000-2001 Canadian Community Health Survey. Methods: The study sample included 7982 youth (4034 males, 3948 females) across Canada (mean age: 15.61 years, SD: 2.23 years). Weekly time spent on computers, video games, television, and reading during leisure-time was obtained through self-reported questionnaires. Physical inactivity was determined by respondents' daily energy expenditure assessed through a physical activity questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between sedentary activities and physical inactivity respectively by gender. Sociodemographic variables, health status, and overweight status were controlled in the analysis. Results: A substantial proportion of Canadian youth was inactive: 50.3% of males and 67.8% of females. Controlling for sociodemographic variables, health status, and body mass index, television viewing was significantly associated with physical inactivity for both males and females regardless of their overweight status. However, computer usage was associated with physical activity among males, and reading was associated with physical activity among females. Conclusions: There is a complex inter-relationship between sedentary behaviors and physical inactivity, highlighting the need for targeted interventions addressing patterns of sedentary behavior engagement. Reducing time spent on television viewing may be one plausible strategy within such interventions in reducing physical inactivity among youth.
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