Konami’s Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) – a video game played on a dance pad – has shown success in improving children’s health, and attitudes to fitness and self esteem, according to a 24-week clinical study led by West Virginia University (WVU) and West Virginia Public Employees Insurance Agency (PEIA).

The home-based study involved 85 children, who were required to play the game for at least 30 minutes a day, five times a week, and record their activity.

WVU Researchers monitored several health indicators over the course of the study, such as weight, body mass index, blood pressure, arterial function, fitness levels and attitudes towards exercise.

The research was conducted by Dr Linda Carson and Emily Murphy of WVU. They found that, although not all the subjects – all of whom were overweight or obese at the start – lost weight, they did not gain weight and experienced improvements in their aerobic capacity, blood vessel function and overall fitness level.

Carson says: “DDR combines the appeal of ‘screen time’ within a physical activity format.

We are excited we can now demonstrate it as a valuable health tool and something kids enjoy.” Konami teamed up with PEIA and WVU last January with the aim of placing DDR in all public schools across the state by the end of 2008.