Games Could Encourage Healthier Eating Among Kids - Georgetown College

A study supported by Georgetown’s Reflective Engagement in the Public Interest grant has determined that children who play online games promoting healthy foods and beverages appear more likely to choose nutritious snacks than those playing games promoting unhealthy products.

The research, featured in the July issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine -- one of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) /Archives journals, focused on young people’s use of advergames. The online computer games, developed specifically to promote a brand, often feature logos and characters and are present on many food and beverage Web sites.

Studies show obesity rates among U.S. children and adolescents have rapidly increased over the past 40 years, and authors of the July report, including Georgetown psychology professor Sandra Calvert cite media as a contributor to the increase.

“One potential contributor to the rise in obesity is media exposure, primarily because television advertising markets high-calorie foods and beverages that have little nutritional value,” the authors write. “We know far less about how newer media influence children’s food preferences, but Internet use is a very popular activity among youth aged 8 to 18 years. Marketers have taken notice of this online revenue-generating opportunity in which exposure to products costs less than traditional television advertisements and legal restrictions and regulations are virtually nonexistent.”