Gao and Pope publish in Obesity Review

Zan Gao, Ph.D., assistant professor and director of Physical Activity Epidemiology Laboratory, recently published a review article titled, “A meta-analysis of active video games on health outcomes among children and adolescents” as the first author in the Obesity Review. Graduate research assistant Zachary Pope also serves as the co-author for this review paper.

The purpose of GaoZan-2015the review article was to synthesize current literature concerning effects of active video games on children/adolescents’ health-related outcomes. It was found that active video games could yield equivalent health benefits to children/adolescents as laboratory-based exercise or field-based physical activity. Therefore, active video games can be a good alternative for sedentary behavior and addition to traditional physical activity and sports in children/adolescent. Obesity Reviews is a monthly journal publishing reviews on all disciplines related to obesity and its comorbidities. It has an impact Factor of 7.995 and ranks 9 out of 128 journals in Endocrinology & Metabolism.

The full citation is: Gao, Z., Chen, S., Pasco, D., & Pope, Z. (205). A meta-analysis of active video games on health outcomes among children and adolescents. Obesity Reviews, 16(9), 783-794. DOI: 10.1111/obr.12287