Abstract
Childhood obesity is becoming increasingly prolific and problematic. Contributors to childhood obesity include decreased levels of physical activity and increased sedentary behavior. Screen-based entertainment may be an important factor in the development of childhood obesity as children and adolescents prefer to spend time using electronic devices than exercising. While it is difficult to encourage children to cease playing video games, it is possible to change these passive screens to active ones. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have been utilized by academics and researchers to promote levels of physical activity among young people. This paper is part of our continuous research into the use of technology in the facilitation and motivation of children to be more physically active. This paper presents the "MySteps " framework that has been developed to manage youth screen time and exercise performance statistics. By developing technology-based solutions, we intend to increase children and adolescents awareness of their levels of physical activity and screen time. Consequently, self-monitoring and management of screen time and physical activity levels may lead to more active living beginning at an early age and continuing throughout life.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Centers for Diseas Control and Prevention, (2014). Childhood Obesity Facts. Available: http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htm
M. De Onis, M. Blössner, and E. Borghi, "Global prevalence and trends of overweight and obesity among preschool children," The American journal of clinical nutrition, vol. 92, pp. 1257–1264, 2010.
K. F. B. Patricia M. Anderson, "Childhood Obesity: Trends and Potential Causes," The Future of Children, vol. 16, pp. 19–45 2006.
C. L. Ogden, M. D. Carroll, B. K. Kit, and K. M. Flegal, "Prevalence of childhood and adult obesity in the United States, 2011-2012," JAMA, vol. 311, pp. 806–814, 2014.
R. C. Whitaker, M. S. Pepe, J. A. Wright, K. D. Seidel, and W. H. Dietz, "Early adiposity rebound and the risk of adult obesity," Pediatrics, vol. 101, pp. e5-e 5, 1998.
W. H. Dietz, "Periods of risk in childhood for the development of adult obesity—what do we need to learn?," The Journal of nutrition, vol. 127, pp. 1884S–1886S, 1997.
R. C. Whitaker, J. A. Wright, M. S. Pepe, K. D. Seidel, and W. H. Dietz, "Predicting obesity in young adulthood from childhood and parental obesity," New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 337, pp. 869–873, 1997.
S. R. Daniels, D. K. Arnett, R. H. Eckel, S. S. Gidding, L. L. Hayman, S. Kumanyika, et al., "Overweight in children and adolescents pathophysiology, consequences, prevention, and treatment," Circulation, vol. 111, pp. 1999–2012, 2005.
I. Janssen, P. T. Katzmarzyk, W. F. Boyce, C. Vereecken, C. Mulvihill, C. Roberts, et al., "Comparison of overweight and obesity prevalence in school‐aged youth from 34 countries and their relationships with physical activity and dietary patterns," Obesity reviews, vol. 6, pp. 123–132, 2005.
W. H. Dietz and S. L. Gortmaker, "Do we fatten our children at the television set? Obesity and television viewing in children and adolescents," Pediatrics, vol. 75, pp. 807–812, 1985.
D. F. Roberts and U. G. Foehr, "Trends in media use," The future of children, vol. 18, pp. 11–37, 2008.
K. Westerterp and M. Goran, "Relationship between physical activity related energy expenditure and body composition: a gender difference," International journal of obesity and related metabolic disorders: journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity, vol. 21, pp. 184–188, 1997.
E. J. Ball, J. O'Connor, R. Abbott, K. S. Steinbeck, P. S. Davies, C. Wishart, et al., "Total energy expenditure, body fatness, and physical activity in children aged 6–9 y," The American journal of clinical nutrition, vol. 74, pp. 524–528, 2001.
The Department of Health, (June 2014). Make your move – Sit less – Be active for life! Available: http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/content/health-pubhlth-strateg-phys-act-guidelines
J. J. Reilly, L. Kelly, C. Montgomery, A. Williamson, A. Fisher, J. H. McColl, et al., "Physical activity to prevent obesity in young children: cluster randomised controlled trial," Bmj, vol. 333, p. 1041, 2006.
D. E. Warburton, C. W. Nicol, and S. S. Bredin, "Health benefits of physical activity: the evidence," Canadian medical association journal, vol. 174, pp. 801–809, 2006.
The Department of Health, (2014). Australia's Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines. Available: http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/content/health-pubhlth-strateg-phys-act-guidelines
W. B. Strong, R. M. Malina, C. J. Blimkie, S. R. Daniels, R. K. Dishman, B. Gutin, et al., "Evidence based physical activity for school-age youth," The Journal of pediatrics, vol. 146, pp. 732–737, 2005.
I. Janssen, "Physical activity guidelines for children and youth This article is part of a supplement entitled Advancing physical activity measurement and guidelines in Canada: a scientific review and evidence-based foundation for the future of Canadian physical activity guidelines co-published by Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism and the Canadian Journal of Public Health. It may be cited as Appl. Physiol. Nutr. Metab. 32 (Suppl. 2E) or as Can. J. Public Health 98 (Suppl. 2)," Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, vol. 32, pp. S109–121, 2007.
R. P. Troiano, D. Berrigan, K. W. Dodd, L. C. Masse, T. Tilert, and M. McDowell, "Physical activity in the United States measured by accelerometer," Medicine and science in sports and exercise, vol. 40, p. 181, 2008.
N. H. Brodersen, A. Steptoe, D. R. Boniface, and J. Wardle, "Trends in physical activity and sedentary behaviour in adolescence: ethnic and socioeconomic differences," British journal of sports medicine, vol. 41, pp. 140–144, 2007.
J. F. Sallis, J. J. Prochaska, and W. C. Taylor, "A review of correlates of physical activity of children and adolescents," Medicine and science in sports and exercise, vol. 32, pp. 963–975, 2000.
B. E. Molnar, S. L. Gortmaker, F. C. Bull, and S. L. Buka, "Unsafe to play? Neighborhood disorder and lack of safety predict reduced physical activity among urban children and adolescents," American Journal of Health Promotion, vol. 18, pp. 378–386, 2004.
S. Biddle and M. Goudas, "Analysis of children's physical activity and its association with adult encouragement and social cognitive variables," Journal of School Health, vol. 66, pp. 75–78, 1996.
D. W. Lou, "Sedentary Behaviors and Youth: Current Trends and the Impact on Health," ed: Active Living Research, January 2014.
P. W. Lau, E. Y. Lau, D. P. Wong, and L. Ransdell, "A systematic review of information and communication technology–based interventions for promoting physical activity behavior change in children and adolescents," Journal of medical Internet research, vol. 13, 2011.
A. Lenhart, M. Madden, and P. Hitlin, "Teens and technology: Youth are leading the transition to a fully wired and mobile nation," 2005.
N. K. Kaneshiro, (2013). Screen time and children. Available: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/patientinstructions/000355.htm
The Parent's Jury, (2013). Recreational Screen Time Available: https://www.parentsjury.org.au/key-concerns/physical-activity/recreational-screen-time
Healthy Kids, (2015). Switch off the Screen. Available: http://www.healthykids.nsw.gov.au/kids-teens/switch-off-the-screen.aspx
T. N. Robinson, "Reducing children's television viewing to prevent obesity: a randomized controlled trial," Jama, vol. 282, pp. 1561–1567, 1999.
V. J. Rideout, U. G. Foehr, and D. F. Roberts, "Generation M superscript 2.: Media in the Lives of 8-to 18-Year-Olds," Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 2010.
R. Wilson, "Promoting physical activity," BCMJ, vol. 54, p. 335, September 2012 2012.
S. B. Sisson, S. T. Broyles, D. R. Brittain, and K. Short, "Obesogenic behaviors in US school children across geographic regions from 2003-2007," Open Journal of Preventive Medicine, vol. 1, p. 25, 2011.
Australian Bureau of Statistics, (2013). Australian Health Survey: Physical Activity, 2011-12 Available: http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4364.0.55.004Chapter1002011–12
C. Tudor-Locke, R. P. Pangrazi, C. B. Corbin, W. J. Rutherford, S. D. Vincent, A. Raustorp, et al., "BMI-referenced standards for recommended pedometer-determined steps/day in children," Preventive medicine, vol. 38, pp. 857–864, 2004.
C. J. Riddoch, L. B. Andersen, N. Wedderkopp, M. Harro, L. Klasson-Heggebo, L. B. Sardinha, et al., "Physical activity levels and patterns of 9-and 15-yr-old European children," Medicine and science in sports and exercise, vol. 36, pp. 86–92, 2004.
The Department of Health, (2014). Research and Statistics. Available: http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/health-pubhlth-strateg-active-evidence.htm
L. H. Epstein, A. Valoski, R. R. Wing, and J. McCurley, "Ten-year outcomes of behavioral family-based treatment for childhood obesity," Health Psychol, vol. 13, pp. 373–83, Sep 1994.
L. H. Epstein, M. D. Myers, H. A. Raynor, and B. E. Saelens, "Treatment of pediatric obesity," Pediatrics, vol. 101, pp. 554–570, 1998.
J. R. Shapiro, S. Bauer, R. M. Hamer, H. Kordy, D. Ward, and C. M. Bulik, "Use of text messaging for monitoring sugar-sweetened beverages, physical activity, and screen time in children: a pilot study," Journal of nutrition education and behavior, vol. 40, pp. 385–391, 2008.
S. J. Bartlett, P. Lukk, A. Butz, F. Lampros-Klein, and C. S. Rand, "Enhancing medication adherence among inner-city children with asthma: results from pilot studies," Journal of Asthma, vol. 39, pp. 47–54, 2002.
S. Consolvo, K. Everitt, I. Smith, and J. A. Landay, "Design requirements for technologies that encourage physical activity," in Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human Factors in computing systems, 2006, pp. 457–466.
T. W. Bickmore, L. Caruso, and K. Clough-Gorr, "Acceptance and usability of a relational agent interface by urban older adults," in CHI'05 extended abstracts on Human factors in computing systems, 2005, pp. 1212–1215.
Fitbit. (2015). Available: http://www.fitbit.com/au/home
R. Altamimi and G. Skinner, "A Survey of Active Video Game Literature," Journal of Computer and Information Technology, vol. 1, pp. 20–35, 2012.
P. Ilung, R. Altamimi, and G. D. Skinner, "Exertainment: Designing Active Video Games to Get Youth Moving," in Proceedings of the International MultiConference of Engineers and Computer Scientists, 2014.
R. A. Ilung Pranata, Geoff Skinner, "An Adaptive Framework Allowing Active Video Games to Address Child Obesity," presented at the 7th Annual International Conference on Computer Games, Multimedia and Allied Technology 2014, Singapore, 2014.
R. Altamimi, G. Skinner, and K. Nesbitt, "FITTER-A Framework for Integrating Activity Tracking Technologies into Electric Recreation for Children and Adolescents."
R. Altamimi, G. Skinner, and K. Nesbitt, "A Focused Review and Initial Conceptual Design for Merging Exergame and Activity Monitoring Technologies," in Entertainment Computing–ICEC 2014, ed: Springer, 2014, pp. 77–83.
G. S. Reem Altamimi, Keith Nesbitt, "Pitfalls and Promises of Exergaming and Activity Monitoring Technologies," presented at the The 9th International Conference on Information Technology and Applications (ICITA2014), Sydney, Australia, 2014.
G. Skinner and R. Altamimi, "Active Video Games (AVG) For Promoting E-Health Initiatives–Integration Of Contemporary Information And Communication Technologies (ICT)."
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Author’s profile
Reem I. Altamimi is a PhD Candidate at the University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia. She is employed and sponsored by Taibah University, Madinah, Saudi Arabia. The author earned her Bachelor degree in Computer Science from Taibah University, Madinah, Saudi Arabia, in 2006. She obtained a Master of Information Technology (Advanced) with Honours Class I from the University of Newcastle, Australia, graduating in 2012. The Author is particularly interested in Active Living Technologies. Her research is based on exploring the integration of the best available contemporary technologies in order to facilitate and motivate active living among children and adolescents.
Dr Geoff Skinner is Head of the IT Discipline at the University of Newcastle, and member of the Priority Research Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition. He has close to 100 International peer reviewed publications and 2 book chapters in the field of Data Security. Coupled with over 15 years professional Industry experience, he brings a wealth of knowledge to his chosen research domains. These include Active Living Technologies, Exertainment, Data and Information Security, and eLearning.
Dr Keith Nesbitt is a Senior Lecturer in Information Technology at the University of Newcastle. His research interests include computer games, virtual environments, user-interface design, information visualisation, agent-based modelling and creative processes. With an applied focus in these areas of research, Dr Nesbitt explores how these elements can be employed to solve real world problems. In particular, he looks at how information can be shared and received through engaging the senses. He has successfully secured funding for various projects, including the Strategic Initiatives Research Fund grant for his work in health informatics; the Teaching and Learning Project grant for the development of a virtual pharmacy; and the PRC in Physical Activity and Nutrition Seed Grant for his research in quantifying dysfunctional movement. Dr Nesbitt previously worked as a research scientist for BHP, assessing emerging computing technology and their potential impact on BHP business domains. He currently teaches into the courses related to computer games and computer programming. Dr Nesbitt is also a member of the School of Design, Communication and Information Technology’s research committee.
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits any use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and the source are credited.
The primary author is employed and sponsored by Taibah University, Madinah, KSA
Rights and permissions
Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made.
The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder.
To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
About this article
Cite this article
Altamimi, R., Skinner, G. & Nesbitt, K. A Position Paper on Managing Youth Screen Time versus Physical Activity. GSTF J Comput 4, 3 (2015). https://doi.org/10.7603/s40601-014-0003-y
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7603/s40601-014-0003-y