Women who play computer games at risk of becoming overweight

Young women who play computer games for at least 1 hour every day are more likely to become overweight than women who do not play, a new study has found.
Researchers at Sahlgrenska Academy asked 2,500 Swedish young adults between the ages of 20 and 24 to respond to a survey on three different occasions: in 2007, 2008 and 2012.
Researchers used the survey to investigate whether the amount of time young people spend e-mailing, chatting or playing computer games in their free time affects their Body Mass Index (BMI).
The results showed that women of normal weight who played computer games for at least 1 hour a day were more likely to develop overweight (measured as a BMI over 25) during the five-year study period compared with women who did not play.

"The increased BMI in those who played computer games for more than two hours a day would for a young woman of average height and weight equal an additional weight gain of 3.7 kilos," said Sara Thomee, researcher at Sahlgrenska Academy.
"That calculation takes other risk factors for obesity into account, such as age, occupation, total daily computer time, physical activity during free time, sleep and perceived social support," Thomee said.
The same development was not found in men. It is unclear why only women gained weight, according to Thomee, who said further studies are needed to verify the results and identify possible causes.

The study was published in the scientific journal BMC Public Health.