SYDNEY, Jan. 15 (Xinhua\/APP): Playing video games for more than 10 hours a week may significantly affect young people’s diet, sleep and body weight, a new study shows.<\/p>\n
The research, led by Australia’s Curtin University and published in Nutrition, surveyed 317 students from five universities across the country, with a median age of 20, said a Curtin University statement on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Participants were classified as low (0-5 hours per week), moderate (5-10 hours) and high (10+ hours) gamers.<\/p>\n
Researchers found while low and moderate gamers reported similar health outcomes, results worsened dramatically among those who gamed more than 10 hours weekly.<\/p>\n
The findings suggested excessive gaming appeared to be the key issue, rather than gaming itself, said Professor Mario Siervo from the Curtin School of Population Health.<\/p>\n
“What stood out was students gaming up to 10 hours a week all looked very similar in terms of diet, sleep and body weight,” Siervo said, adding that beyond that 10-hour threshold, clear differences emerged.<\/p>\n
Students gaming more than 10 hours a week had poorer diet quality and higher obesity rates, with a median body mass index of 26.3 compared to 22.2 and 22.8 for low and moderate gamers respectively, the study showed.<\/p>\n
All groups reported generally poor sleep quality, but increased gaming hours were also linked to sleep disruption, the researchers said.<\/p>\n
The study suggests adopting healthy routines, such as limiting late-night gaming and choosing healthier snacks, may help reduce health risks.<\/p>\n