A video game that is helping kids slim down, so that they look better and feel better about themselves?
That benefit surprises the makers of a new game called “Dance Dance Revolution” (DDR), and the kids who play the game love who they see looking back at them in the mirror. It’s the latest teen and young adult dance craze, and the players are hooked. Those who don’t have their own home version spend every quarter they have, and then some, to keep dancing. They find the game addictive, and they are also discovering that their old clothes have become too big for them. They have lost weight, and it has been a lot of fun in the process. Obesity in children seems to be at an all-time high. A recent cross-sectional study in Arkansas found that 40 percent of schoolchildren there are overweight, and more than half of those kids are considered obese. Dr. Carden Johnston, President of the American Academy of Pediatrics says he believes that those statistics can be generalized to the rest of the country. More people now realize that being overweight is a serious health issue, and they are finding
