Calling all junior food detectives!

New video game tackles childhood obesity

Kaiser Permanente just launched a first of its kind, free, interactive online video game that teaches kids to eat healthier foods, be more active and manage how much time they spend in front of the computer and television. Developed by the producer of the “SpongeBob SquarePants,” “Monsters, Inc.” and “Rugrats” video games, “The Incredible Adventures of the Amazing Food Detective” targets children ages 9-10 and is available in both English and Spanish.

As Junior Food Detectives, kids playing the video game follow the daily routines of eight multi-ethnic children, helping them solve their health mystery by making nutrition and activity choices to close the case! The characters in the game have varying health issues; for example, there’s Catherine, who, although she gets enough exercise, tends to load up on carbohydrates and needs more protein to get strong, and Cole, who is hooked on junk food and has big energy spikes throughout the day.

As kids playing the game solve each case, they are rewarded with 24 fun “mini-games” and great printable takeaways such as:

scavenger hunts to teach them how to interpret food labels;

experiments to measure sugar in their soda;

muscle-building exercises and physical activity charts;

kid-friendly recipes; and

fun facts about exercise and nutrition.

Catherine needs more protein.

The game automatically shuts off after 20 minutes, reminding kids to get active, and won’t let kids back into the game for 60 minutes, reinforcing the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendation of no more than one to two hours of “screen time” per day.

"Kids spend a lot of their time in front of the TV and computer, and we know we need to reach them wherever they are. So creating a game that gets at the critical issues of eating healthy and being active is a way of reaching kids that hasn’t been tried before," said Ray Baxter, senior vice president for Community Benefit at Kaiser Permanente.

More than 5,000 public schools nationwide have implemented the game along with extensive lesson plans developed by Scholastic to help teachers address obesity in the classroom. The game was also distributed with a family take-home activity workbook, Junior Food Detective badges for kids who complete the game, and a sweepstakes that gives teachers the chance to win gift cards to purchase sports equipment and other Scholastic products for their classroom.

The game is part of Kaiser Permanente’s effort to reach beyond the doctor’s office with a comprehensive approach to obesity prevention. Through its Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) initiative, Kaiser Permanente gives kids and families opportunities to make healthy choices at every touch point of their lives—at school, home, online, in their communities, grocery stores and beyond. Kaiser Permanente has been recognized by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and other health organizations as a leader in the fight against childhood obesity.

Check out all these features by playing the game here: www.kp.org/amazingfooddetective

###

To learn more about Kaiser Permanente’s commitment and continuing efforts to address the epidemic of childhood obesity click here: http://xnet.kp.org/communitybenefit/