Health Apps Encourage Children and Adolescents to Maintain a Healthy Weight

A scientific study conducted in Australia found that health-related electronic applications encourage children and adolescents to engage in physical exercises, eat healthy foods, and maintain their weight. A research team from the University of South Australia analyzed health data concerning more than 133,000 children and adolescents under the age of 18, and found that health digital applications that focus on monitoring vital body functions, exercising, and eating healthy foods encourage users to exercise for an additional ten to twenty minutes daily compared to those who do not use such applications. The study published in the journal "Journal of Medical Internet Research" showed that some of these applications reduced the period of inactivity among children and adolescents by 20 to 25 minutes daily, improved weight and body fat rates, but did not significantly affect users' sleep hours. Ben Singh, the head of the study team, stated: "Although most young people know the importance of healthy nutrition, regular exercise, and getting enough sleep, many of them do not adhere to proper health guidelines, which increases their risk of obesity, diabetes, and heart diseases." He added in statements to the medical research website "Health Day": "This study has shown that health maintenance applications can significantly improve the levels of physical activities practiced by children and adolescents, as well as their nutrition and weights, putting them on the right path to maintaining their health." Singh expressed his belief that children and adolescents feel comfortable using modern technology, and thus do not find it difficult to engage with these types of applications. Estimates from the World Health Organization indicate that 80% of adolescents do not engage in sufficient physical activities, and approximately 390 million children and adolescents aged between 5 to 19 years are overweight, of which 160 million suffer from obesity.