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INTERVENTION
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:
Objectives: Obesity prevention among children and adolescents is a public health priority; however, limited school-based intervention trials targeting obesity have been conducted. This article provides an overview of the study design and baseline preliminary findings of our ongoing school-based intervention study. Design: Randomized intervention trial to test a school-based, environmental obesity prevention program in urban low socioeconomic status (SES) African-American adolescents. The intervention program was developed based on several behavioral theories and was guided by preliminary findings based on focus group discussion and baseline data. Setting: Four Chicago public schools in the US. Subjects: Over 450 5 - 7th graders and their families and schools were involved. Results: Our baseline data indicate a high prevalence of overweight (43% in boys and 41% in girls) and a number of problems in these children's physical activity and eating patterns. Only 26% reported spending >= 20 min engaged in vigorous-moderate exercise in >= 5 days over the past 7 days; 29% reported spending >= 5 h each day watching TV, playing video games, or using computer. They also consumed too many fried foods and soft drinks. On average, 55% consumed fried foods >= 2 times/day over the past 7 days; regarding soft drinks, 70% reported consuming >= 2 times/day. Conclusion: School-based obesity prevention programs are urgently needed in the target US urban, low SES, minority communities. These data can be used to inform intervention activities.
New entry in Digiplay games research bibliography:
The objective of the study was to find out whether the school-based prevention programme `Initiated abstinence' is suitable to induce pupils to change their consumer behavior and attitudes. The participants of the prevention programme commit themselves `per contract' to abstain from or considerably reduce their consumption of at least one of their currently used substances (e. g. sweets, cigarettes) or media (TV, computer games) for a period of 2 weeks. The main goal of the programme is to sharpen their problem and health consciousness concerning addiction and pleasure seeking. The programme was evaluated by a longitudinal study. At three given times, the 12- to 15-year-old pupils of the experimental classes were interviewed by standardized self-completion questionnaires (n = 2,267). The control classes were submitted to two surveys (n = 586). The study was carried out in the areas of Innsbruck (Austria), Schleswig-Holstein (Germany) and South Tyrol (Italy). Not all pupils were able to keep their intentions submitted in their contract, but 4 of 5 pupils had at least one positive experience with the renunciation (82%). There were `overall effects': The actual renunciation of the pupils was much higher than stated in their agreement. The experimental group showed significant reduction effects for pupils, who had successfully reduced or stopped use of a substance or medium. In a further step, it should be explored whether the programme is suitable also for older groups, i.e. for pupils older than 15 years. Moreover, the long-term effects of the programmes should be tested.
New entry in Digiplay games research bibliography:
Concern about the impact of media violence on children and adolescents is shared by the six signatories to the Joint Statement on the Impact of Entertainment Violence on Children: the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the American Psychiatric Association . Although a less well-researched medium at this point, violent video and computer games (referred to simply as video games) may have particular impact because of their actively engaging, content-generating nature . Recent content analyses suggested that up to 90% of all video games contain some sort of violent content, with at least half of these games including the potential for serious harm toward game characters . Such violent video games have become especially popular, even with relatively young children. In a recent survey of first through third graders, 53% of the children's favorite games had violent content, as rated by the children themselves (Jeanne Funk, PhD, Margaret Chan, unpublished data, 2004). In another recent survey of middle school volunteers, students listed and rated up to three favorite games using a list of six categories and descriptors developed with the help of children and adolescents and used in several previous studies. In that study, 99% of boys and 84% of girls categorized at least one of their current preferred video games as having violent content . The inescapable conclusion is that across childhood and adolescence and across gender, violent video games enjoy considerable popularity.
New entry in Digiplay games research bibliography:
Objective To conduct a population-based survey of television and other media usage in young children to determine (1) total media usage; (2) the proportion of children who have televisions in their bedrooms and who eat breakfast or dinner in front of the television; and (3) predictors of parental concern about the amount of television their child watches. Study design Telephone survey administered to 1454 parents of children <11 years old derived from a diverse clinic population. Results The mean age of the index child was 5.05 years. Mean daily reported child media use was as follows: television (1.45 hours; SD, 1.5); videos (1.1 hours; SD, 1.30); and computer games (0.54 hours; SD, 0.96). Thirty percent of parents reported that their child ate breakfast or dinner in front of the television in the past week, and 22% were concerned about the amount of television that their child watched. In multivariate linear regression, eating breakfast or dinner in front of the television in the past week was associated with increased hours of television viewing (0.38 hours [0.21, 0.54]) and video (0.19 hours [0.04, 0.34]). Having a television in a child's bedroom was associated with increased hours of television (0.25 hours [0.07, 0.43]), video viewing (0.31 hours [0.16, 0.47]), and computer games (0.21 hours [0.10, 0.32]). In general, higher parental education was associated with decreased hours of television and video but not computer games. Older children were 2 to 3 times more likely than younger children to have a television in their bedroom and to have eaten a meal in front of it in the past week. More educated parents were less likely to report that their child had a television in their bedroom and more likely to be concerned about the amount of television their child viewed. Conclusions Combined video and computer game usage exceeded television usage. Both children of low- and high-income parents are at risk for certain behaviors associated with television usage. Parents whose children watched more television were more likely to be concerned about the amount of television their child viewed.
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