儿童过度玩游戏或对关节健康不利

　　在最近一次医学会议上，一些研究者表示，他们通过初步研究发现，过度使用游戏机和手机有可能加剧其对儿童关节健康的不利影响。

　　研究者对圣路易斯（美国密苏里州东部大城市）的两所学校的257名9至15岁学生展开了调查，以研究诸如Xbox,，Gameboy 和iPhone这些设备的影响。学生们接受了问卷调查，回答了使用哪些设备、会使用多久以及所感受到疼痛的程度等问题。

　　研究者发现，比起使用手机，用Gameboy或Xbox玩游戏会使手指和腕关节更疼痛。而且，玩了越久，还可能会更痛，研究报告显示玩游戏时间每增加一小时，疼痛感就会增加一倍。

　　就使用手机方面，研究者称疼痛感和所发短信条数、所使用的缩写以及键盘类型相关。在手机使用者中，就使用手机而感到关节疼痛的反馈数量来看，女孩是男孩的两倍。

　　“我们的研究揭示了玩电脑游戏和使用手机对青少年关节健康的负面影响，提醒人们关注现代化的科技对人体健康所产生的影响”，纽约大学附属关节病医院的Yusuf Yazici教授在一份声明中这样说道。

　　Yazici 教授表示，以上的研究表示今后的研究需要着重讨论“如今的游戏机儿童会因玩游戏而产生何种严重的健康问题”，这也暗示在何时开始让孩子玩游戏和用手机的问题上，未来研究可能会给予家长们一些建议。

　　该项研究是在伦敦举行的欧洲风湿病治疗同盟年度代表大会上发表的。

　　译文：

　　Kids and teens who spend a lot of time playing video games or texting on their smartphones may end up with serious wrist and finger pain, a new study suggests.

　　The preliminary findings, which were presented at a medical conference, raise the possibility that overuse of gaming devices and mobile phones could impact children’s joint health, the researchers said.

　　Researchers studied the effect of gadgets such as the Xbox, Gameboy and iPhone on 257 students aged 9 to 15 at two schools in St. Louis. The students received questionnaires asking about the types of gadgets they used, how long they used them and how much pain they experienced.

　　The researchers found that video gaming （on the Gameboy or Xbox） was associated with more intense finger and wrist pain than mobile-phone （iPhone） use. Also, the more kids played, the more likely they were to have pain: reports of pain doubled for each additional hour of game play.

　　As for mobile-phone use, the researchers said reported pain was associated with the number of text messages sent, use of text abbreviations and the type of keyboard. Among mobile-phone users, girls reported twice as much pain as boys.

　　“Our study has shown the negative impact that playing computer games and using mobile phones can have on the joints of young children, raising concerns about the health impact of modern technology later in life,” said Professor Yusuf Yazici of New York University Hospital for Joint Diseases in a statement.

　　The findings underscore the need for further research on “what could be a serious health concern for today’s gaming children,” Yazici said, suggesting that further studies may lead to recommendations for parents about the appropriate age to allow children to start using these devices.

　　The study was presented at the annual congress of the European League Against Rheumatism, in London.