Tam Fry on Childhood Obesity at the Interactive Fitness and Exergame Seminar

Consequences of Inactive Life for Children

Last month saw the first seminar from the Interactive Fitness and Exergame Network from LinkedIn at LIW. It goes to show that collaboration on the web can lead to real action, and there's more than enough passionate and dedicated professionals in this group to make something happen.

Although the focus of exergaming may be on video games, the real purpose of exergaming is to improve health. Child Growth Foundation and National Obesity Forum chair, Tam Fry, spoke at this seminar to illustrate the problem and the consequences for children.

Mr Fry warned the delegates that the "Childhood population looking at a very unhealthy and uncertain future" and outlined some of the evidence.

"From the University of Newcastle the figures are just 3 in a 100 children are doing the recommended 1 hour of exercise a day. Only 1 in 5 parents know how much exercise children should be taking. After 10 years of messages we have failed to get though to parents in a understandable way exactly what their children should be doing."

The message that activity is being ingored also leads to dire consequences, as Tam exaplained:

"One third of children not doing enough exercise to the level of risking coronary heart disease, stroke, type II diabetes. The only way back for some children is to cut them open at fit a gastric band. This should always be the third option, but is increasingly becoming the second or even the first option."

Mr Fry offered some explaination as to why the population is in such trouble, with two areas for improvement for government policy.

"Over the last 20 years parks have been sold off, allowed to run down or become total no-go areas. From the National Obesity Forum, we have a clear idea that video games which encourage activity are very important and we're fully behind it. But, to have not then opportunity for people to go out and be active is a pity. Children love to play, you should give them the space, if necessary supervise to a degree."

School PE is seen as very important in providing a front line service against childhood obesity, and it was suggested that PE techers should be on the frontline when it comes to monitoring child weight as well as physical education development. That would only be if there still were PE classes and PE teachers.

"25% of children coming into school going into primary school at the aged 4 are overweight or obese. Perhaps the biggest problem is what is not happening. What is not happening in school is that physical activity has been allowed to disappear."

The talk greatly informed the seminar and put into perspective the importance of what the group is doing and what success in the interactive fitness and exergaming sector means, not in monetary terms, but in human terms.

The majority of the presentations from the group that were included in the seminar can be found at the slideshare event http://www.slideshare.net/event/interactive-fitness-and-exergame-seminar

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A Major Move to Fitness

Fitness Technology Explained

This month marks a turning point for the UK with sportEX bringing the Major Moves Conference 08 to Sports Development Week. Although Gamercize has been at conferences and exhibitions in the UK for over two years now, we have always been a lone voice promoting real fitness technology remaining bolted on the side of traditional fitness.

The voices have multiplied, starting with sportEX Health bringing fitness technologist Biray Alsac as a keynote speaker. I met Biray in August at the Games for Health's Exergaming Retreat where she gave the techno-savvy audience a lot of useful information on the mystical "Web 2.0". I can honestly say everyone went away with a list of ideas and useful websites that we would not have gained without Biray. I am looking forward to learning more and will take better notes this time!

Now with the social marketing covered, it is time to get into the reality of fitness technology, and who better to do this than Dr Alasdair Thin, who gained significant respect in active gaming through his independent and impartial research into Eyetoy Kenetic. Companies may commission research for marketing purposes but Alasdair's experience and commitment have yet to be copied. I have spent many long phone calls across the border so visiting Birmingham on the 23rd will save a lot off the phone bills!

Taking fitness technology to the natural progression of implementation, there is Andrew Smith from the Hampshire Primary Care Trust speaking. Hampshire is a very special county in the UK for active gaming and fitness technology. Through the Active Southampton initiative Hampshire has public gyms offering Gamercize active gaming. Through the School Sport Partnership it has primary schools with Gamercize exergaming steppers. Embracing this technology brings it's own rewards and Hampshire public gyms takes two of the three top spots in the rigorous QUEST awards with amazing scores.

Any one of these speakers brings a glimpse into the future of fitness innovation, but three in the same conference makes the event unmissable. I am also looking forward to hearing from Tor Davies, who managed to bring all of these people together in one conference and had the vision to dedicate to fitness technology.

There will also be a surprise at the conference from Gamercize to keep delegates involved, interactive and motivated. As an end-to-end insight into fitness technology I have not seen a better mix, so make a space in your diary on September 23rd to visit the NEC at Birmingham. Check out the Major Moves website to book a place, don't miss it or you'll have to wait a year to get the low-down on the future of fitness.

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Leisure Industry Week 2007

Gamercize at LIW

Did you see Gamercize at the Birmingham NEC last month? No? I am not surprised, the show was very busy as you can see from the picture! Gamercize was exhibited connected to a junior cycle and a junior stepper, as a two player combination.


This proved a popular setup with visitors starting up fit kids clubs in locations all over Europe. Organisations planning to get kids fit with video games were diverse, a new theme park in the Netherlands, a Premiership Football Club in England, a Local Education Authority in Wales and a health club chain from Spain were most notable.


A common misconception from the show visitors was how the interaction worked. Unlike other exergame equipment, Gamercize does not interfere with the game play. Ok, if you stop exercising the games pauses, but that is less of interference and more prompting. Without this interaction there would be no incentive to exercise. All of the kids (and some of the adults!) were able to keep the game going without any trouble. The skill needed to play the game is not hampered by physical ability or co-ordination. When visitors had this explained, the proverbial penny dropped.


Some direct control equipment was on show, although a poor choice of game did not show its potential to the full. That is a pity because for 100% racing addicts, the equipment is very good. A word of warning from the "Stinger", of The Stinger Report fame, was that heart rates should be monitored on exergames that require effort for progress, especially for children, to avoid health risks. A very good point from a very knowledgeable individual.


Nintendo Wii was on show too, which was good to see but a warning from a school who purchased a number of them was quite revealing. They had found kids started to play the games by sitting down and flicking the wand with small hand movements. Clearly this is not in the spirit the console should be used. A few of the wands have since gone missing too. Wii Fit will probably be a better alternative for exercise on the Wii.


We left our second LIW very happy with the progress in attitudes to exergames and it was great to meet up again with the good people from the dedicated fitness and fun kids clubs. A few words from a very passionate and clearly dedicated Ian Wright on his inolvment and experiences with kids fitness was also very welcome. Have a good year to all exhibitors, and for sure we will all be back at the NEC again in 2008.

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