PhD Candidate Travis Saunders and his thesis project were profiled on the front page of the the Ottawa Citizen this weekend. From the article:
Saunders is seeking children, aged 10 to 14 — obese or normal weight — for a study that will examine the impact of a full day of sitting on markers of health, food intake, and physical activity.
These video-game playing children will actually be wheeled to the washroom and the kitchen for lunch, so they don’t activate their leg muscles while having their metabolic system monitored.
Saunders wants to see what happens to the children’s blood fats, blood glucose and insulin during a full day of doing nothing but twitching their mouse finger or clicking a remote.
These same children, on a subsequent day, will have their TV watching and video-game playing interrupted every 20 minutes for two minutes of slow walking on a treadmill. On another day, they will also run on the treadmill twice for 20 minutes.
A buffet awaits the youngsters at each day’s end, to see which type of activity leaves them feeling full — or famished.
Saunders wants to see if these interruptions make a difference to the children’s health.
To find out how to you can become involved in Travis’ research project, click here.
