Physical Activity Epidemiology Laboratory (PAEL) director and assistant professor, Zan Gao, Ph.D., was recently profiled in the MN Daily feature news story, “Kids could gain from gaming.”
The feature story discusses Gao’s research on exergaming, which is the use of video games to promote cognitive and physical activity.
In his most recent study, he has been working with elementary school students from north Minneapolis’ Loring Community School, in order to observe how playing Wii and Xbox games affect children between the ages of 4 and 6.
His current study along with a study conducted this past spring, was made possible by a $50,000 seed grant from the University’s Obesity Prevention Center. Gao hopes to expand the project through a federal grant from the National Institutes of Health in 2016.
Gao is quoted as saying, “Exergaming is fun in nature.” He continues, “That fun component can motivate an individual to change their behavior.”
