Only in WV:
"By next year, all 765 schools in West Virginia (the state that has the highest obesity rate for children in the country) will have "Dance Dance Revolution" games and dance mats available for students from elementary to high school to play before and after school, as well as part of physical education classes. "

WV schools are just the latest to use this. It has been popular in colleges and other middle/high schools in other states for about 2 years.

I have one. Only used it a handful of times though. It's fun. I should probably donate it to a local school, eh?

Here are some concerns I have:

1. This does not fully address the reason/cause for obesity, it is an attemt at a cure though
2. Will the machines be within eyesight of the vending machines selling crap to the kids?
3. If the government is paying for this video game will they also pay for Halo if my kids can't dance?
4. How many time have you seen a truly obese kids exercise? Will they require a doctor's approval before they are allowed to use it?

Don't get me wrong, I think it is a good idea but it is only part of the solution. I hope they are implementing other steps to help these kids.

They hope that the game will modivate the kids and change attitudes about exercise. The goal is to reach kids who don't like competitive sports, the same kids who might be more interested in video games.
West Virginia Public Employees Insurance Agency (PEIA), the state education department, West Virginia University and Mountain State Blue Cross Blue Shield will share the estimated $740-per-school cost. Since they will use this during gym class and before and after school DDR clubs, I doubt they will be beside vending machines. I'm not sure about needing a doctor's approval before using it. Do obese children already need a doctor's approval to take gym class?

I would hope so.

My comment about vending machines was more a comment about the junk food the provide for kids then try to provide them with exercise. Wouldn't it be better to provide a healthy diet 1st?

Well of course. I have no idea if any or all of the WV schools have vending machines. We didn't have vending machines in my school, except for the soda machine by the gym. You could not go and get a soda at lunch time from this vending machine.

It is just not one problem; it is a cummilation of many (culture, schools, parents).

Parents tend to feed children the foods they were raised on. But since children are not as active as we were, this is working against them.

The P.E. classes offered do not meet most physicians' recommendation for 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise daily.

Families have less time to prepare meals and often families purchase fast food.

WV is one of just four states that have set nutritional standards for food sold in schools that are not part of the federally sponsored school lunch program, called competitive foods, which include items sold in vending machines, a la carte in cafeterias, snack shops and bake sales.

I read an interesting article a year or so ago about using DDR in gym class. They also profiled the way many schools do PE these days. Instead of measuring the distance the fat kid can run, they put a heart monitor on him and make sure he is getting his heart rate up and forget about how fast he can get that mile done. A much more sensible attitude if you ask me.

In my own experience, I could get my heart rate up in the 170's with only a snail's pace on the elliptical, while the skinny witches next to me looked like they were running the 100 yd dash on the thing and only breaking 120. Over time, mine improved a great deal, but it doesn't happen overnight and to have that expectation for kids is unrealistic and possibly dangerous.

I had bought the game AND the latest and greatest gaming system to go with it; all in effort to lose weight. I dug it enough to conquer the only music choice I could stomach which was a remix of, "play that funky music white boy." Then I sold it to my friend for her daughter's bday for 100 bucks. The whole system and game. To which she lost interest after 10 minutes of trying it and now it sucks exhaust fumes from her vehicle in her garage.

Wished I'd donated to a school instead.


West Virginia jokes aren't funny when you live in Htown. Y'all might be over the bridge but you do not bypass redneck culture, as much you'd like to think.