As we can see in our modern day society, technology has undoubtedly played a substantial role, if not the overarching causal factor, of increased levels of obesity. In fact, I would venture to say that we are so far down the hole that we cannot be certain as to if and when we may eventually climb out of this hole. However, if there is one vehicle that is capable of providing us with transportation to the 'promise land' of healthy body fat percentages and body mass indexes, it is the exact thing that brought us there in the first place: technology.
There was a study conducted in which 20 students signed up to receive texts from their teacher in an attempt to provide consistent encouragement to eat healthier and exercise more. However, the ability to really gauge the results of this experiment was extremely difficult and therefore the results were unable to be firmly established. Following this failed experiment, another test was performed in which a much larger population was utilized and with a different variable this time: the Zamzee. This gizmo is intended to provide an enjoyable atmosphere for kids so that they desire to participate in activities that will result in an increase in fitness and decrease in obesity levels. For example, there are incentives and rewards for kids if they reach certain levels on their Zamzee and therefore experience a motivation that drives them to perform. Researchers discovered that those individuals participating in the study who were obese experienced a 59% increase in minutes of activity each week after utilizing the Zamzee. The most interesting piece about this study was that researchers were intentional about not mentioning exercise or fitness around the kids who were obese because they know words similar to those trigger a psychological shut down in the sense that they don't want to hear about them anymore.
Reading about these experiments is an effective way to witness the fact that technology can provide an excellent venue for reversing the effect in which it initially helped cause. One thought that really caught my attention was the idea that we have the answers in front of us, we simply need to manipulate and incorporate them in the proper manners in order to yield the results that we desire to see. For example, children will respond significantly better as seen in the experiment above when they are driven by a motivation other than someone telling them they need to exercise to be in better shape. Kids enjoy receiving applause and rewards for their behavior and that is something that a piece of technology such as the Zamzee can provide if we allow it to and stop trying to beat it into people. Thought technology may have initially been what sent us down this slippery slope, it can most definitely be our shining star if we begin attempting new and innovative methods to appeal to the obese children in a unique way.
Josh T.
There was a study conducted in which 20 students signed up to receive texts from their teacher in an attempt to provide consistent encouragement to eat healthier and exercise more. However, the ability to really gauge the results of this experiment was extremely difficult and therefore the results were unable to be firmly established. Following this failed experiment, another test was performed in which a much larger population was utilized and with a different variable this time: the Zamzee. This gizmo is intended to provide an enjoyable atmosphere for kids so that they desire to participate in activities that will result in an increase in fitness and decrease in obesity levels. For example, there are incentives and rewards for kids if they reach certain levels on their Zamzee and therefore experience a motivation that drives them to perform. Researchers discovered that those individuals participating in the study who were obese experienced a 59% increase in minutes of activity each week after utilizing the Zamzee. The most interesting piece about this study was that researchers were intentional about not mentioning exercise or fitness around the kids who were obese because they know words similar to those trigger a psychological shut down in the sense that they don't want to hear about them anymore.
Reading about these experiments is an effective way to witness the fact that technology can provide an excellent venue for reversing the effect in which it initially helped cause. One thought that really caught my attention was the idea that we have the answers in front of us, we simply need to manipulate and incorporate them in the proper manners in order to yield the results that we desire to see. For example, children will respond significantly better as seen in the experiment above when they are driven by a motivation other than someone telling them they need to exercise to be in better shape. Kids enjoy receiving applause and rewards for their behavior and that is something that a piece of technology such as the Zamzee can provide if we allow it to and stop trying to beat it into people. Thought technology may have initially been what sent us down this slippery slope, it can most definitely be our shining star if we begin attempting new and innovative methods to appeal to the obese children in a unique way.
Josh T.
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