The health and eating habits of gamers has garnered a lot of interest as of late. Just a few days ago, NewZoo released a study that found 80% of gamers snack during play, and that men were more likely to do so.
UNH researchers looked at 1000 men between the ages of 18-24 who are in college. The participants were asked to provide a gaming and food intake report over two weekdays and a non-consecutive weekend. 70% of the participants said they played some video games, and just over 40% clocked at least five hours per week. That is to be expected, but what makes the results interesting is that the men who played more video games logged diets higher in sodium and saturated fat. Their physical activities were also lower.
Contradicting expectations, the researchers found no difference between the weights of gamers and non-gamers, but they caution that the unbalanced diets and lower physical activity can lead to health problems later in life. UNH Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems research assistant Dustin Moore says, “We know that habits developed in adolescence and early adulthood can stick with people for the rest of their lives, so if we can encourage video game users to eat healthier and exercise more, we could help them live healthier without completely giving up video games.”
The interest is not a new development. Marketing firms around the world, particularly in the food and beverage industries such as Kellogg's, who had an Xbox/rice krispies promotion back in August 2019, have taken a keen interest in what makes gamers tick, and snacking is one of the big factors in human behavior. Food is ubiquitous, something that everyone in all walks of life can enjoy, so no wonder results are popping up all over the place. The gaming industry's impact on health has also become a more visible concern during a time where most people are stuck at home with video games as their main source of entertainment.
People have been warning for years that gaming may have many serious health implications, and there are definitely people out there who will give up gaming for their health. Other studies have indicated some silver linings to distracted eating. A report from early March carried out by the University of Illinois indicated that players who eat meals during a game actually consume less than they would have if they sat at a table. They were also more likely to forget or remember incorrectly how much they had eaten and of what. Granted, the study only looked at 119 individuals, so like all small-scale studies, take the results with a grain of salt.
The best advice at this point, considering most gamers would only give up their consoles when they're pried from their cold, dead fingers, is to counteract the negative effects of gaming by adopting and practicing healthy habits. Things like drinking lots of water (a water bottle on the desk is enough), eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, and getting at least 20 minutes of exercise a day should be enough to keep gamers on the right track for the most part.
And if our future really does involve staying at home playing VR games, a lot of people would be very okay with that.
Source: Inquirer