Today, the White House awarded $60,000 in prizes to 12 winning teams in the “Apps for Healthy Kids” challenge."
Launched in March as part of first lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" campaign, the competition was designed to inspire creation of engaging apps to motivate children to eat healthier and increase their physical activity.
During the contest, students, software developers, game designers and corporations submitted 95 eligible games and apps. The $20,000 grand prize was awarded to a team of University of Southern California students for a game called Trainer. The game, which is demoed in the above video, gives players a creature and challenges them to strengthen their creature by training alongside it in the real world as tracked by interactive webcam technology.
Some have expressed skepticism about such games being valid forms of fitness. In a previous post, Thomas Robinson, MD, MPH, director of the Center for Healthy Weight at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, weighed in on the debate and discussed what makes programs effective for preventing or treating childhood obesity.
Robinson recently received a $12.7-million, seven-year grant to design a pediatric weight-control program that could be used across the country.
Previously: Major effort launched to prevent, treat childhood obesity
