New 'Active' Video Games May Give Kids More Exercise

Youngsters in Australian study were a bit less sedentary

By Robert Preidt

HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, July 2 (HealthDay News) -- Newer-generation "active" video games give a slight boost to children's physical activity levels at home, according to a new study.

Most video games are passive and no better than watching television in terms of getting youngsters to move and burn energy. Children in developed nations spend 38 to 90 minutes a day playing video games.

But it wasn't known if active video games are any better. In this study published online July 1 in BMJ Open, Australian researchers looked at how removing passive games from the home or replacing them with active games affected the activity levels of 56 children, aged 10 to 12.

For eight weeks, all video games were removed from the home. This was followed by eight weeks of being allowed to play passive video games and then eight weeks of being allowed to play active video games.

Levels of physical activity didn't vary much during any of the three eight-week periods, according to a journal news release. Removal of video games was associated with a nearly four-minute increase of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day and a nearly five-minute decrease in sedentary time. During the period when the children were allowed to play active video games, their daily activity levels increased by about three minutes and sedentary time fell by just over six minutes.

The differences appear small and, by themselves, are unlikely to have any effect on children's health, according to the study authors Dr. Leon Straker at Curtin University, in Perth, Western Australia, and colleagues.

However, the researchers said these slight increases in activity are significant in light of the rapidly increasing levels of exposure children have to electronic gaming on computers, tablets and smartphones, as well as Internet surfing and social media.

"Therefore small changes across a variety of these platforms could result in a more substantial clinical impact," the study authors wrote.

"While our study focused on the home setting, school offers another opportunity for more active technologies such as sit-stand desks or active-input electronic media as part of lessons," they added.

The researchers also noted that replacing passive video games with active versions may be easier for families to maintain than a total ban on video games.

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Jennifer Lawrence stars as Katniss Everdeen in new The Hunger Games: Catching Fire poster

Another day, another awesome image of Jennifer Lawrence, this time reprising her role as The Hunger Games star Katniss Everdeen for a new Catching Fire teaser poster. Check her out totally owning that large bit of rock. She rules.

J-LAW'S BEST EVER QUOTES

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Violent Video Games May Numb Players to Brutality, Study Finds

THURSDAY, May 9 (HealthDay News) -- Teenage boys who play violent video games for hours on end may become desensitized to the brutality, a small new study finds.

The research focused on 30 boys, aged 13 to 15, who were divided into two groups. One group typically played violent video games for three or more hours a day (high exposure) while the other group played such games for no more than an hour a day (low exposure).

The researchers monitored the boys' reactions after playing a violent game ("Manhunt") and a nonviolent cartoon game ("Animaniacs"). They played each game for two hours on different evenings.

Differences between the boys' reactions emerged later in the night after gaming. During sleep, the boys in the low-exposure group who played the violent game had faster heart rates and poorer quality of sleep than those in the high-exposure group. The boys in the low-exposure group also reported increased feelings of sadness after playing the violent game.

Both groups of boys had higher stress and anxiety levels after playing the violent game, according to the study, which was published in the May issue of Psychosomatic Medicine: Journal of Biobehavioral Medicine.

"The violent game seems to have elicited more stress at bedtime in both groups, and it also seems as if the violent game in general caused some kind of exhaustion," wrote Malena Ivarsson, of the Stress Research Institute at Stockholm University in Sweden, and colleagues. "However, the exhaustion didn't seem to be of the kind that normally promotes good sleep, but rather as a stressful factor that can impair sleep quality."

The differences between the two groups' physical and mental responses suggest that frequent exposure to violent video games may have a desensitizing effect, the researchers said. The study, however, didn't prove a cause-and-effect relationship, and it's possible that boys with certain traits may be attracted to violent games, the researchers said.

-- Robert Preidt
Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCE; Psychosomatic Medicine: Journal of Biobehavioral Medicine, news release, May 3, 2013

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Tune Into Brain Games Tonight, Chemical-Free Spring Cleaning and More!

National Geographic Channel's new show Brain Games shows you how to "hack your brain" so you can figure out how your mind works. Way more fun than a biology lesson, right? Check it out tonight at 9 p.m. ET. [CNN]

We're always looking for non-toxic ways to get our place sparkling for spring. Here, 27 chemical-free, DIY cleaning products. [Greatist]

The top 40 Vine Film Festival finalists pack a lot of talent into six seconds. Which one's your favorite? [All Twitter]

Our May cover girl Kelly Osbourne doesn't only look good, she does good too. Kelly and her mom, Sharon, have signed on to be the faces of Fashion Targets Breast Cancer 2013, which raises money for the disease via fashion sales. [The Drum]

Next week, your Twitter feed will be bringing the laughs. Starting April 29th, Comedy Central is hosting #Comedyfest, a five-day Twitter festival with jokes, routines, and even a panel discussion with Judd Apatow. [Rolling Stone]

Image Credit: Getty Images

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The Hunger Games: Catching Fire first trailer released

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire has premiered it's first trailer at the MTV Movie Awards last night.

The two-and-half minute teaser was introduced at the event by the movie's resident babe Liam Hemsworth.

In the preview, Professor Snow - played by Donald Sutherland - is seen plotting to kill Katniss and all previous Hunger Games victors, while Katniss and Peeta (Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson) are coached for a post-Games victory tour by Elizabeth Banks and Woody Harrelson's Effie and Haymitch.

Catching Fire picks up where 2012's Hunger Games left off, with Katniss and Peeta embarking on their victory tour before being forced to compete in the Capitol's 'Quarter Quell'.

The Hunger Games stars Lawrence, Hutcherson and Hemsworth reprise their roles from the first film, while Sam Claflin, Jeffrey Wright and Philip Seymour Hoffman are new cast additions.

As well as premiering at last night's ceremony, the highly-anticipated clip debuted online through the HungerGamesExperience website.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire will open in cinemas on 22nd of November.

Watch the trailer below.

On 4 April 2013, we wrote...

A sneak peek of the teaser trailer for Hunger Games: Catching Fire has been released.

The 21-second clip shows Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson, accompanied by Elizabeth Banks, as they are introduced to a crowd as part of their Victory Tour.

The first full trailer will be introduced at the MTV Movie Awards, hosted by Rebel Wilson, on 14 April.

he next instalment of the franchise sees Katniss and Peeta put back in the arena to fight for their lives once again during the Quarter Quell tournament.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire will be in cinemas on 22 November.

WATCH THE SNEAK PEEK BELOW

ACTORS WHO CHANGE WEIGHT FOR A ROLE

JENNIFER LAWRENCE: LOOK BOOK

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On 6 March, 2013, we wrote...

Jennifer Lawrence has appeared in a stunning new poster for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

The Oscar-winning actress, who plays Katniss Everdeen in the movie franchise, wears a striking white, ruffled dress in the latest 'Capitol Portrait' images that have been released to promote the film.

In her hand, she is clutching a white rose - similar to the Victory Tour poster she appears in, in which she is holding a bunch of the flowers.

Similar posters starring Woody Harrelson as Haymitch Abernathy, Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket and Stanley Tucci as Caesaar Flickerman have also been released.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is directed by Francis Lawrence, and will also star Josh Hutcherson, Sam Claflin, Liam Hemsworth and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

The film starts with Katniss and Peeta Mellark embarking on a Victory Tour to celebrate their triumph in the 74th Hunger Games. Meanwhile, a revolution that threatens to overthrow their Capitol is brewing.

It is set to open in the UK on 22 November 2013.

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SOURCE: LIONSGATE

On 22 November 2012, we wrote...

Catching Fire director Francis Lawrence will complete the Hunger Games franchise and direct the final two-part Mockingjay adaptation, it has been announced.

News of Francis' return to the Hunger Games was broken by Collider.

The I Am Legend filmmaker - who replaced Gary Ross at the helm of the series - is currently directing the second instalment of the hit films, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, which is due to hit cinemas on 22 November 2013.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 has been drafted in for its big screen debut on 21 November 2014, while Part 2 will follow on 20 November 2015.

Mockingjay Parts 1 and 2 - based on the third book in Suzanne Collins's best-selling series - will see  Jennifer Lawrence's character Katniss Everdeen become "the Mockingjay", Panem's symbol of rebellion against the Capitol.

Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks and Donald Sutherland are all expected to reprise their roles in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay.

SOURCE: COLLIDER

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Germs Fly in Roller-Derby Games, Study Finds

Skaters swap skin bacteria during bouts

By Randy Dotinga

HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, March 12 (HealthDay News) -- As roller-derby skaters bump and smack one another on the track, a new study finds that they're exchanging more than bruises: These combative women are also swapping countless bacteria that live on their skin.

Researchers who analyzed skin samples were able to distinguish among teams by the bacteria on the skaters' skin, and they could track how the bacteria moved between teams during a bout.

"The thing that was surprising was how different the teams' different bacteria were before they played, and how similar they became afterward," said study author James Meadow, a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Oregon in Eugene.

Germs pass from person to person, from people to things and from people to animals all day long, he said, but it's usually harmless. "We pick them up from the environment, and we give them off to the environment," he said. "This study was a way to find out how that changes when we come into contact with other people."

For the study, published in the March 12 issue of the new journal PeerJ, researchers studied three roller-derby teams competing in a tournament: the Emerald City Roller Girls from Eugene, Ore.; the DC Roller Girls from Washington, D.C.; and the Silicon Valley Roller Girls from San Jose, Calif.

To obtain microbe samples, the researchers swabbed the skaters' upper arms, which are typically exposed before, during and after a game.

Each team's members had very similar bacteria, possibly because their players came from the same geographical places. "If we picked one of the players at random, I could tell you which team she played for," Meadow said.

But the bacterial makeup of the skin on their arms changed after skin-to-skin contact with other skaters. "It was difficult to tell the teams apart. They had mixed a lot of their skin bacteria," Meadow said.

Athletes can and do transmit potentially dangerous skin infections to one another, but it's not clear if the germs transmitted between these players could have made them sick, the researcher said. When it comes to the sharing of germs, Meadow said, "we don't know what impact that has or how long it lasts."

Nor is it clear exactly how many bacteria transferred among skaters as they collided and fought for track position in this heavy-duty contact sport.

Still, skin infections are nothing to dismiss. A "superbug" called methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) can be transmitted between athletes on a football field and even through shared towels. MRSA is sometimes fatal.

What about other kinds of human contact, such as handshakes, kissing and sex? The risk of body-to-body bacteria transmission from those activities is another mystery, although it's known that the skin, mouth and vagina are home to unique communities of germs, Meadow said.

"The transmission could be at this level or more," he said, referring to the study findings. "One thing we can say for certain is that we're transferring things in all types of human contact" -- derby or no derby.

Dr. Pascal James Imperato, dean of the School of Public Health at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in New York City, said the study demonstrates how people from the same areas have similar kinds of bacteria on their skin.

Should people worry about touching each other?

Not generally, Imperato said. "There's no reason anyone should institute any kind of preventive measures because the majority of these bacteria are not pathogenic," he said. "They're garden-variety bacteria found on the skin of ordinary people. I don't think it's anything to worry about."

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Video Games May Sharpen Focusing Skills in Kids With Dyslexia

By Randy Dotinga

HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Feb. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Here's one possible treatment for dyslexia that kids won't complain about: video games.

Italian researchers report that they found that children with the reading disability scored better on tests after they played an action video game for hours, possibly because their minds temporarily became more focused.

It's not clear if video games directly improved the dyslexia in the kids. If it did, no one knows how long the effect might last or whether the strategy is a better approach than traditional treatments. In other words, dyslexic children shouldn't necessarily play a couple of video games and call their reading specialist in the morning.

Even if video games do help dyslexic kids, "we are not suggesting a 'do-it-yourself' training by any means," said study co-author Andrea Facoetti, an assistant professor with the Developmental & Cognitive Neuroscience Lab at the University of Padua in Italy. However, Facoetti said, video games could become a tool for reading teachers who teach kids with dyslexia, a learning disability that prevents people from properly understanding written words.

In the study, one group of 10 dyslexic kids played a Wii video game called Rayman Raving Rabbids for 12 hours over several days while another group played a video game that didn't focus on action.

The kids who played the action game improved their reading speed by as much or more than a dyslexic child normally would in an intense reading program, Facoetti said.

The video games may train the brain to pay more close attention and focus on things, Facoetti said.

The findings deserve to be taken seriously, said Guinevere Eden, director of the Center for the Study of Learning at Georgetown University and a past president of the International Dyslexia Association.

"It's exciting to see an unconventional approach to try to improve the speed or fluency of reading," she said. It's difficult to improve reading comprehension in dyslexic kids because they read slowly, she explained: "By the time they get to the end of the sentence, they can't tell you what it's about."

The difficult therapy to improve dyslexia is another drawback, she said. "It's hard work, and it's not fun."

If video games help kids with dyslexia read more effectively, shouldn't dyslexia cases have fallen drastically in recent decades during the rise of video games? Study co-author Facoetti said the new research can't answer that question because the children tested hadn't played video games before.

Eden, who's familiar with the findings, said: "I don't have a great answer for you, but there are a couple of things: I don't think we have a good sense of whether dyslexia is going up or down because the whole definition is variable. What's interesting here is how it might be that what we think of dyslexia may be changing, not just because of video games but because of technology in general."

What's next? Eden said researchers should focus on trying to understand why video games may improve the symptoms of dyslexia.

While the study showed an association between playing action video games and improved reading scores among kids with dyslexia, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

The study was released online Feb. 28 in advance of publication in the March 18 print issue of Current Biology.

More information

For more about dyslexia and other learning disorders, visit the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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Kids Use Kitchen Items for Risky Games and Highs

Dec. 28, 2012 -- Common kitchen items like ground cinnamon and marshmallows are increasingly being used by kids for dangerous choking games and cheap, easy highs, a toxicologist warns.

"A lot of these spices and household products are around all year. But during the holidays, kids are out of school. So they have less structure and may spend more time on the Internet, where they can learn about choking games and other ways to get high," says Christina Hantsch, MD, of Loyola University Health System in Maywood, Ill. 

"There is always something new out there. So parents have to educate themselves and their children and have a relationship where they can talk about things they have heard of that may very well be risky."

So just what are kids doing with these spices and products? 

Hantsch says the emergency room at her hospital saw 12 preteen kids who took the "cinnamon challenge." During this challenge, kids swallow cinnamon without any water. This results in a cough and burning sensation that can lead to breathing issues and choking.

Videos of the cinnamon challenge on the Internet have gone viral, which is why it is increasing in popularity. In 2011, poison centers in the U.S. received 51 calls about exposure to cinnamon among teens. In the first three months of 2012, they received 139 calls, she says.

The "chubby bunny" marshmallow challenge has similar risks. In this game, kids stuff as many marshmallows into their mouth as they can, and try to say "chubby bunny." Two kids choked to death during this game.

"It is a little concerning that we are starting to see these things in younger children and preteens who are not aware of the serious consequences," she says.

Other kitchen and household products are also risky. Ground nutmeg can be snorted, smoked, or eaten in large amounts to produce marijuana-like effects, Hantsch says. "We are talking about large quantities, not a little bit in your Chai tea."

Kids are also using aerosol whipped cream and aerosol cooking spray to produce a laughing-gas effect.  

Other risky behaviors include drinking hand sanitizer, which often has an alcohol base. "Even a mouthful can make someone feel inebriated," she says. Some may sniff glue and magic markers to get high. "They may sniff them directly or have the product in a bag that they hold over their mouth and nose."  

Besides the free time and lack of structure, the holidays can be times of stress and emotional tumult for children and teens. "They may be more upset and anxious and more likely to explore or self-medicate," says Scott Krakower, DO. He is the medical director of the Mineola Community Treatment Center at the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System in Mineola, N.Y.

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The Olympic Games

6: 44 am — Filed under: exercise

I feel like I need to talk about, but I have nothing to say. How about a nice photo of the 1948 Winter Olympics instead?

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