EurekAlert!
October 6, 2008
An online game might be the secret weapon for winning the war against childhood obesity. Researchers at George Mason University have designed and tested a nutrition education program called "Color My Pyramid" to teach students how to evaluate their dietary intake and activity level. The program incorporates the Department of Agriculture's MyPyramid.gov for Kids Blast-Off Game, an interactive computer game that allows kids to win by fueling their rocket with nutritious foods and a healthy level of physical activity.
The Color My Pyramid program comprises six classes taught over a period of three months. Researcher analysis showed that the program significantly improved children's eating habits, increased physical activity levels, lowered blood pressure and decreased weight and Body Mass Index percentiles.
"With 35 to 40 percent of children's daily calorie consumption occurring during the school day, it is quite appropriate that a comprehensive nutrition intervention in school would assess, prevent and reduce the number of overweight and obese children," says Lisa Pawloski, associate professor and chair of the Department of Global and Community Health in the College of Health and Human Services and co-designer of the program. "We hope that this pilot study provides a clearer understanding of effective approaches to nutrition interventions for school age children."