Nov. 24--A team of UA researchers hopes to turn children's ubiquitous use of computers and social networking programs into an exercise routine that could put a dent in rising childhood obesity levels.
Using a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the researchers from the University of Arizona hope to find a way to reach children and educate them about proper health and fitness on their own turf, which is increasingly online.
Current programs that target childhood obesity reach only a small portion of the population and have short-lived success, Scott Going, a UA nutritional-science professor who is leading the research, said in a news release.
Educating students who use computers for several hours a day about fitness becomes important as research shows that those youths are more likely to gain weight than those who are physically active.
The national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 16 percent of people ages 2 to 19 are obese, a marked increase from 30 years ago.
Using online social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace, Going and other researchers hope to reach youths informally and engage them in physical activity.
"The goal of our bottom-up approach is to work closely with youth to develop activities that utilize popular technology, such as GPS, digital photography, instant messaging and seamless connectivity now available in cell phones and virtual communities," Going said in the release.
Children could integrate fitness information into their online habits by using software known as widgets, which allow for small amounts of online information to be displayed on computers or mobile phones.
At first, the team of five UA researchers will work with 30 people ages 12 to 18 to tailor software to the youths' particular interests, the release said.
They will then assess whether the technology has made an impact upon the group's physical activities, later expanding the study to 200 children in after-school programs.
Finally, the researchers will hold a competition among several national youth programs to design and use the software.
"The widget will be designed to be easily modified by youth and used in ways they enjoy," Going said in the release.
--Contact reporter Aaron Mackey at 807-8012 or at amackey@azstarnet.com. Get all the latest UA news by visiting go.azstarnet.com/ campuscorrespondent
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