Snacking and Gaming: What We Know So Far (Presentation in Keynote) At the Games for Health Conference (2010), we reviewed existing research regarding snacking, and the impacts of gameplay on snacking. We also shared initial data on a pilot study conducted in NMSU's Learning Games Lab, where we compared snack consumption across three types of activities: video game play, board game play, video watching. Barbara Chamberlin, Ph.D., Rachel Gallagher, Michelle Garza, Pamela Martinez Note: If you are downloading, and cannot open Keynote files, consider downloading the PDF version of this, which is the handout with slide content on it.

1. Snacking and Gaming
What we know so far
Barbara Chamberlin, PhD • bchamber@nmsu.edu
Michelle Garza, Rachel Gallagher, Pamela Martinez

8. Research
WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT SNACKS AND GAMES?

9. Screen Time & Sedentary Behavior
New Mexico State University

10. Screen Time & Sedentary Behavior
New Mexico State University

11. Screen Time & Sedentary Behavior
• Sitting in front of a screen = low levels of physical
activity. (Foster, Jensen, Foster, Redmond, Walker, Heinz, and Levine 2006)
New Mexico State University

12. Screen Time & Sedentary Behavior
• Sitting in front of a screen = low levels of physical
activity. (Foster, Jensen, Foster, Redmond, Walker, Heinz, and Levine 2006)
• Children spend as much as 55 hours per week in front
of the screen (Vanderwater, Bickham and Lee, 2006)
New Mexico State University

13. Screen Time & Sedentary Behavior
• Sitting in front of a screen = low levels of physical
activity. (Foster, Jensen, Foster, Redmond, Walker, Heinz, and Levine 2006)
• Children spend as much as 55 hours per week in front
of the screen (Vanderwater, Bickham and Lee, 2006)
• Except for sleeping, American children spend more time
watching television and playing video games than doing
anything else (Epstein, Paluch, Gordy and Dorn, 2000)
New Mexico State University

14. Is there something else going on?
New Mexico State University

15. Is there something else going on?
TV as a trigger
• excessive inactivity with increased intake (weight gain)
• food advertising (Vandewater, Shim, and Caplovitz, 2003)
New Mexico State University

16. Is there something else going on?
TV as a trigger
• excessive inactivity with increased intake (weight gain)
• food advertising (Vandewater, Shim, and Caplovitz, 2003)
TV as a conditioner to engage in snacking
• trigger behavior pattern
• distract from consumption and portion size
(Gore et al, 2003; Epstein, Coleman and Myers, 1996)
New Mexico State University

17. Is there something else going on?
TV as a trigger
• excessive inactivity with increased intake (weight gain)
• food advertising (Vandewater, Shim, and Caplovitz, 2003)
TV as a conditioner to engage in snacking
• trigger behavior pattern
• distract from consumption and portion size
(Gore et al, 2003; Epstein, Coleman and Myers, 1996)
Passive screen time displaces healthier
activities
• less engagement in sports
• consumption of fewer healthier foods (Tremblay and Willms, 2003)
New Mexico State University

18. and what about snacking?
New Mexico State University

19. and what about snacking?
Snacks
• often consumed in excess of dietary needs
(Salvy, Kieffer, and Epstein, 2007)
New Mexico State University

20. and what about snacking?
Snacks
• often consumed in excess of dietary needs
(Salvy, Kieffer, and Epstein, 2007)
Passive screen time
• associated with snacking (Epstein, Coleman and Myers, 1996)
New Mexico State University

21. Games and Snacking
Wheeling Jesuit University, Department of Psychology
New Mexico State University

22. Games and Snacking
Wheeling Jesuit University, Department of Psychology
Compared to xBox, youth playing Wii:
•higher caloric expenditure
•ate less snack amounts, and healthier snack options
•demonstrated greatest mental and physical demand
(Bloom, J., Hunker, R., McCombs, K., Raudenbush, B., & Wright, T., 2008; Kolks, J., Wright, T., & Raudenbush, B., 2009)
New Mexico State University

23. Games and Snacking
Wheeling Jesuit University, Department of Psychology
Compared to xBox, youth playing Wii:
•higher caloric expenditure
•ate less snack amounts, and healthier snack options
•demonstrated greatest mental and physical demand
(Bloom, J., Hunker, R., McCombs, K., Raudenbush, B., & Wright, T., 2008; Kolks, J., Wright, T., & Raudenbush, B., 2009)
Youth playing Wii and Xbox had showed less snack
consumption than the control group (youth sitting in an
empty room for 15 min).
(Kolks, J., Wright, T., & Raudenbush, B., 2009)
New Mexico State University

24. Games and Snacking
Wheeling Jesuit University, Department of Psychology
New Mexico State University

25. Games and Snacking
Wheeling Jesuit University, Department of Psychology
•Gameplay decreased youth’s ability to estimate amount
of snack consumed
(Cessna, T., Raudenbush, B., Reed, A., & Hunker, R, 2007)
New Mexico State University

26. Our Study
SNACKS, GAMES AND VIDEOS

27. New Mexico State University

28. New Mexico State University

29. Our Snack Pilot
Subjects:
8 Adults
11 Mid-school students
6 High school students
3 days of each 10-day session
New Mexico State University

30. How?
Offered pre-weighed cups of pretzels and goldfish
crackers
Engaged participants in
open video game play
videos on animation process
open board game play
60 minutes
kicked them out and weighed the cups
New Mexico State University

31. Findings
HOW DID TYPE OF ACTIVITY AFFECT SNACKING?

32. Our Data
Mid School Kids, n=11 High School Kids, n=6 Adults, n=8
Video Games
Videos
Board Games
0 25 50 75 100
New Mexico State University

33. Generalizations
Video gamers snacked less, in all
groups (mid school, high school and
adults). Gameplay included
exergames and sedentary games.
Adults and high schoolers snacked
most during social board game
activities.
Mid schoolers snacked most during
passive video watching.
New Mexico State University

34. Limitations
Needs analysis
Pilot study, n=25
Variation in kids, hunger,
New Mexico State University

35. Now where?
Possible Expansions
larger sample size
home-based study
compare different types of
video game play
sedentary v. non-
sedentary
content or theming of
game
New Mexico State University

36. References
Bloom, J., Hunker, R., McCombs, K., Raudenbush, B., & Wright, T. (2008). Nintendo Wii vs. Microsoft Xbox: Differential
effects on mood, physiology, snacking behavior, and caloric burn. Appetite, 51(2), 354.
Cessna, T., Raudenbush, B., Reed, A., & Hunker, R. (2007). Effects of video game play on snacking behavior. Appetite,
49(1), 282.
Epstein L.,, Coleman KJ, Myers MD; (1996). Exercise in treating obesity in children and adolescents.; Med Sci Sports
Exercise, Apr; 28(4); 428-435.
Kolks, J., Wright, T., & Raudenbush, B. (2009). Effects of video game console and snack type on snack consumption
during play. Appetite, 52(3), 841.
Tremblay MS, Willms JD. (2003). Is the Canadian childhood obesity epidemic related to physical
inactivity? International Journal of Obesity 27: 1100-1105.
Gore, S. A., Foster, J. A., DiLillo, V. G., Kirk, K., & Smith West, D. (2003). Television viewing and snacking. Eating
Behaviors, 4(4), 399-405. doi: 10.1016/s1471-0153(03)00053-9
Salvy, S.-J., Kieffer, E., & Epstein, L. H. (2008). Effects of social context on overweight and normal-weight children's food
selection. Eating Behaviors, 9(2), 190-196. doi: 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2007.08.001
Vandewater, E.A., M.-S. Shim and A.G Caplovitz. (2003). Linking Obesity with Children’s Television and Video Game
Use. Journal of Adolescence 27:71-85.
New Mexico State University

37. Snacking and Gaming
What we know so far
Barbara Chamberlin, PhD • bchamber@nmsu.edu
Michelle Garza, Rachel Gallagher, Pamela Martinez