• International journal of advanced smart convergence
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.1-6
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• 2013

Convergence in technology and media makes it possible to augment nurturing by making blended infrastructures with new digital resources available in learning environments at schools. A game-based provision of educationally-valuable content within a collective, virtual environment combined with an analysis of events in the game after it has been played (blended nurture environment) may help to better communicate human values especially where old-fashioned discussion methods fail or do not fulfill the promise of effective, educational institution-based methods of bringing up. In this paper we discuss the use of behavioural metaphors in game-based blended-nurture scenarios for computer games and pedagogical-psychological tests. Upbringing demands an active intervention in the process of children growing up and the courage to place higher expectations on ourselves and our own lifestyles. Decisions and the behaviour of the younger generation are often irrational and the resulting effects can have destructive consequences. Nowadays, games take on the role of modern storytellers. With the help of complex analogies in games, a variety of situations can be depicted in an eye-catching way and later discussed.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.192-200
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• 2013

Objectives: To measure the prevalence of behavioural risk factors for obesity among urban adolescent school children in Chennai, India. Methods: This study was performed as a cross-sectional study using a World Health Organization-designed Global School-based Student Health Survey questionnaire (modified for India) among adolescent school children studying in 30 randomly selected secondary and higher secondary schools in Chennai city. 1842 adolescents studying in the VIII to XII standards were randomly selected for the study. Results: In the present study, 40.7% of the students ate fruit one or more times per day and 74.5% of the students ate vegetables one or more times per day. Nearly 20% of the students ate fast food items on 4 to 7 days during the previous week. Among the students, 30.4% watched television for more than two hours per day. Nearly 68% of the girls and 22% of the boys did not participate in outdoor sports activities. When the pattern of physical activity of the students was assessed, it was observed that 15.6% were inactive, 43.4% were minimally active, and the remaining 41.0% belonged to the category of health enhancing physical activity. Among the students, 6.2% were overweight and 5.2% were obese. Conclusions: The prevalence of risk factors for obesity was quite high among the adolescents. This study also showed that a great proportion of overweight/obese adolescents had a correct perception of their body weight and they were making efforts to modify risk factors such as television viewing, computer use, a sedentary lifestyle, and unhealthy dietary habits.