Video gamers fatter, have more down days

ATLANTA, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- People who play video games have a higher body mass index and a greater number of poor mental health days compared to non-players, U.S. researchers found.

Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Emory University and Andrews University analyzed survey data from more than 500 adults ranging in age from 19-90 in the Seattle-Tacoma area on health risks; media use behaviors and perceptions, including those related to video-game playing; and demographic factors.

The article, scheduled to be published in the October issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, found 45.1 percent of respondents reported playing video games, but female video game players reported greater depression and lower health status than female non-players.

Male video game players reported higher BMI and more Internet use time than male non-players. The only determinant common to both female and male video game players was greater reliance on the Internet for social support, the study said.

Video-game players reported lower extraversion, consistent with research on adolescents that linked video game playing to a sedentary lifestyle and overweight status, and to mental -health concerns, Dr. James Weaver III of the CDC said.