The Contribution Of Inactivity To Childhood Obesity

In developed nations all over the world – particularly the United Kingdom and the United States – problems with obesity have become such a major issue that they are discussed widely on television, on the Internet, on the radio, and in everyday conversation. In addition to bad eating habits, one of the main problems that causes childhood obesity is societal and relates to the lack of physical activity in our day to day lives. As the world becomes more complex, technology continues to make advances that encourage us to sit around all day doing little to nothing physically. Why bother when we have video games, computers, and televisions to entertain us? Why bother walking anywhere or riding a bike when we can simply get in a car or take public transportation? What it comes down to is a simple lack of movement in our day to day lives.

Not only does physical inaction cause overweight and obesity, it can also contribute to a variety of health factors that hit people later in life, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. In England alone, the estimated costs to the public of illnesses that can be traced back to inactivity amount to over 8.2 billion pounds! The fact is, being active is no longer a simple option. If we want to live long and fulfilling lives, we must begin to become more physically active.

One of the sad facts of our time is that young people have fewer and fewer chances to be physically active. In elementary and primary schools, quite often there is a lack of space and equipment for serious physical education, not to mention fewer and fewer teachers with specialized training in this area. Children spent the vast majority of their time at school sitting down behind a desk. The vast majority of six to eight year old in the United Kingdom are allowed only thirty minutes of regulated physical education in their weekly school curriculums! The game fields and playgrounds are being sold off or abandoned. At home, children are discouraged from playing outside due to their parents’ concerns with safety.

Here’s one idea: Instead of blaming technology for all our problems, is there a way that technology can be utilized to help children become more physically active?

Some video games are encouraging just that. While video games have a bad reputation for causing children to lead sedentary existences, some new games have encouraged physical activity, integrating such acts as golf swings, dance, and martial arts movements in to their programming.

This new form of combining fun with technological advancement has been christened “extertainment,” also known as “exergaming.” Some schools in the United States have even adapted this form of exercise as a substitute for activities such as baseball. While exertainment has of course been controversial to some extents, it has proven to be largely successful, in that students often choose to use the equipment at lunch time and after school – typically times of relaxation when students are sedentary.