Physical Therapy and Technology Partner to Improve Services Provided to Veterans

Sherrie Glasser-Mayrsohn: Physical Therapy and Technology Partner to Improve Services Provided to Veterans (via MarketWired)

SOURCE: Metro Physical & Aquatic Therapy February 18, 2013 06:00 ET Sherrie Glasser-Mayrsohn, Physical Therapy Professional, Sheds Light on the Way in Which Video Games Can Actually Contribute to Physical Health and Wellbeing NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - Feb 18, 2013) - Video games have, over the years…

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President’s Council on Fitness backs Wii, Kinect and other video games.

By Lenny Bernstein,
Published: May 15

I couldn’t ignore the irony in the April 30 announcement that the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition had decided to team up with the Entertainment Software Association to demonstrate “how to use video games to promote physical activity.”

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There are so many active video games on the market now that the term “exergaming” entered the lexicon a few years ago. Today, you can find Wii bowling in assisted-living facilities and Dance Dance Revolution in West Virginia schools. The American Heart Association has already teamed with Nintendo. The managed-care giant UnitedHealth Group announced last week that it believes “the intersection of health and video gaming holds enormous potential benefit for individuals, families and the entire health care system.”

So perhaps it was inevitable that the venerable government organization and the trade group that has its hands on the controls of today’s youth entertainment would get together. Under the plan, kids can earn their Presidential Active Lifestyle Award (PALA+) certificate by using active games to help them get 60 minutes of exercise, five days a week for six weeks. Adults must move for 30 minutes a day. There is also a nutrition component to the challenge (hence the “plus” in PALA+).

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The Neurology of Gaming | Online Universities

Interesting read:

Fighting diabetes with just a Wii bit of exercise

Max Mason
July 29, 2011

Computer games could be the answer to combatting diabetes according to Dr Hugh Senior, Associate Professor in the school of medicine at the University of Queensland.

New research to be undertaken at UQ's Ipswich campus is set to examine how interactive gaming such as the Nintendo Wii can help improve diabetes sufferers' health and quality of living.

"We're looking at new technology as a form exercise, these new interactive games started out for children are now a new form of doing exercise," said Senior.

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A government survey conducted in 2008 showed that 61.4 per cent of adult Australians are overweight or obese.
"People are ending up with diabetes unfortunately due to the environment they're living in and as a result the prevalence of diabetes is increasing," said Senior. "It's very easy to access high energy density foods and as such people are putting on more weight and also not exercising."

Dr Senior said the correlation between weight and diabetes put a huge amount of the population at risk.
"The prevalence of diabetes type 2 has doubled over the past 20 years, seven per cent of adults now have diabetes type 2 and an additional 16 per cent of adults have glucose intolerance, a precursor for developing diabetes."

Previous research has shown that playing the Nintendo Wii's tennis game for 30 minutes is equivalent to a half-hour brisk walk in terms of energy expended.

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Wii Could Aide Patients COPD Patients May 2011

BY Debbie Nicholson May 17, 2011

A new study from researchers at University of Connecticut Health Center, state that Nintendo’s Wii Fit video game makes working out more pleasurable. While it promotes the kind of physical activity persons with breathing problems require. Patients are more apt to use it for exercise.

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Dr. Jeffrey Albores, University of Connecticut Health Center states that regular exercise provides benefits to those with COPD. Exercise increases overall muscle tone while improving cardiopulmonary fitness. Managing to get patients to exercise at home is ideal however, it can be hard to manage, and particularly for COPD patients whose exercise tolerance may be limited.

In 2007, Nintendo had revealed Wii Fit™ which had included exercise activities, games along with yoga, balance and strength exercises and aerobic activities.

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