By Andrea King Collier | Posted February 2 2011
Guest blogger Andrea King Collier is a health and medicine journalist and lead author of the Black Woman’s Guide to Black Men’s Health
Video games have been around now for decades, but they may be the link in keeping older Americans healthier and moving. A University of Delaware study is one of the first to assess the impact of active video games on seniors and the disabled. The authors of the study gave 24 overweight to obese men and women, between the ages of 66 and 78 a wrist worn device that measures the number of calories they burned while playing the games for 30 minutes. According to the research, for older, fairly immobile adults and those with disabilities, these games offer opportunities to stay active that may not have been available to this population before.
Beth Orsega- Smith, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Behavioral Health and Nutrition at University of Delaware and one of the authors of the study says “40 percent of older females and 30 percent of men, ages 70 and older do not currently participate in any physical activity.” The researchers found that the seniors who played a Wii bowling game for the 30 allotted minutes burned somewhere between 20 and 176 calories. The team games such as baseball, or tennis burned fewer calories, ranging from 17 to 144 calories.
Orsega-Smith says that for people who “are otherwise sedentary, games like the Wii, which she refers to as exergames, can offer them an enjoyable way to get more active and healthy. Exergames such as tennis can improve a person’s range of motion, dexterity, and strength. Yet she adds that the games are no real replacement for getting out and being active for people who have that option. Many senior centers and rehabilitation facilities are now testing the benefits of utilizing these kinds of games with their patients.
Other researchers are also looking at the impacts of video games on the health and wellbeing of seniors. The National Science Foundation is funding a study on the impact of video games on cognitive decline in the elderly. And the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is funding research on the impact of video games on a broad range of cognitive issues, including memory and driving skills.
CONNECT THE DOTS
If you’d like to know more about the importance of physical activity for older Americans go to the Agency on Healthcare Research and Quality’s report. Also check out the AARP-commissioned study on the many ways that baby boomers are using technology to improve their lives. For tips on ways older adults can become more active, go to the American Society on Aging. To learn more about Wii sports and exercise games and where to find them, go to the Nintendo site. For info on the Xbox exercise and sports games available go to the Xbox site.
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