SYDNEY, Jan 15 — Playing video games for more than 10 hours a week may significantly affect young people’s diet, sleep and body weight, Xinhua reported, quoting a new study.

The research, led by Australia’s Curtin University and published in Nutrition, surveyed 317 students from five universities across the country, with a median age of 20, said a Curtin University statement on Thursday.

Participants were classified as low (0-5 hours per week), moderate (5-10 hours) and high (10+ hours) gamers.

Researchers found while low and moderate gamers reported similar health outcomes, results worsened dramatically among those who gamed more than 10 hours weekly.

The findings suggested excessive gaming appeared to be the key issue, rather than gaming itself, said Professor Mario Siervo from the Curtin School of Population Health.

“What stood out was students gaming up to 10 hours a week all looked very similar in terms of diet, sleep and body weight,” Siervo said, adding that beyond that 10-hour threshold, clear differences emerged.

Students gaming more than 10 hours a week had poorer diet quality and higher obesity rates, with a median body mass index of 26.3 compared to 22.2 and 22.8 for low and moderate gamers respectively, the study showed.

All groups reported generally poor sleep quality, but increased gaming hours were also linked to sleep disruption, the researchers said.

The study suggests adopting healthy routines, such as limiting late-night gaming and choosing healthier snacks, may help reduce health risks. — Bernama-Xinhua