Article archive / July 1, 2016
Originally published: . Volume 7, No. 7. Source pages: 8.
Dr. Amanda Staiano, developmental psychologist in pediatric obesity and Assistant Professor of Population & Public Health Science at Pennington, and Adjunct Assistant Professor in the LSU Psychology Department, is making the case that video games could help with children’s health and lower their risks for obesity.
Staiano’s work was covered this past March by CBS News, when they reported that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention point to a doubling of childhood obesity between 1980 and 2012. Dr. Staiano tries to find out how kids can be coaxed into more frequent physical activity, have more fun doing it, and improve their health, with “Exergames,” video games that promote activity.
Staiano has led many scientific studies to look at adolescents’ use of exergames, such as with an “Wii Active” study. One of her efforts was a 20-week school-based exergame intervention for overweight African American adolescents, a project funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Staiano’s research targets technology- mediated physical activity interventions. In another of her studies, Staiano investigated the benefits of a 12-week exergaming intervention and “Klub Kinect” for overweight and obese adolescent girls. According to Pennington, Dr. Staiano is working on a 6- month gaming intervention for children ages 10-12 years old, this time funded by the American Heart Association.
Dr. Staiano directs the Pediatric Obesity and Health Behavior Laboratory at Pennington where the mission is to prevent and reduce obesity in children and adolescents. The efforts are to reach this goal through innovative research and scientific advocacy. At the lab Dr. Staiano and her team test screen- based digital tools that help to promote physical activity, and also develop telehealth counseling approaches.
Staiano’s current projects include: the “GameSquad” study, a 6-month physical activity trial funded by the American Heart Association; the “Pause & Play” study, a 2- year observational trial funded by NIMHD to examine the effects of childcare center policies on preschool children’s physical activity and screen-time. Also, Staiano is working on a prospective study funded by the USDA to understand the effects of fat accumulation on adolescents’ physical activity and sedentary behaviors.
Dr. Staiano is a Roadmap Scholar for the NIH- funded Louisiana Clinical and Translational Science Center where she is working to develop applications to change sedentary behaviors and to try and reduce obesity. She is analyzing data from the InSight study, which was a USDA-funded project conducted in 2008-2011 that aimed to understand the dietary, physiological, genetic and behavioral predictors of weight gain in healthy, young, White and African American populations.
Dr. Staiano serves on the Pediatric Obesity Section of The Obesity Society, as an ad hoc reviewer for the NIH and American Heart Association, and on the Editorial Board of the journal Games for Health. This past March, Dr. Staiano delivered a TEDxLSU talk on Exergaming. She has also been recognized as a Baton Rouge Business Report Forty Under 40 Honoree.
Dr. Staiano’s website is: http://labs.pbrc.edu/pediatric- obesity/index.htm
Dr. Amanda Staiano speaking on TEDxLSU about her research for “Exergaming.” She is working to help children to be more active.
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