Does Gaming Equal Obesity?

The U.S.A. is in a health crisis. Obesity is the problem. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention 1/3 of U.S. adults are obese. This can cause an increase in heart disease, stroke and diabetes. It also cost people $147 billion in medical bills in 2008. With the popularity of video games rising has this had an effect on people and obesity?

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 25% of children's time is spent watching T.V. or playing video games. This is a staggering number because most of the other time children are sitting at school. It's true that video games are mostly meant to be played sitting down but it shouldn't take all the blame. At some point parents need to step in and force the child to do something active. If you give a child the option they will probably choose to play video games.

Another factor is the dietary habits of people. Fast food and junk food is everywhere. A study by the University of California at Berkeley said that fast food restaurants that were within a tenth of a mile of a school increases the children's obesity by 5.2%. This is not the video games fault and therefore games should not take all the blame. Although video games are mostly played in a sedimentary setting there are many other factors that cause people to become obese.