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chess
08-02-2011, 10:23 AM
Okay, Brian! Disney didn't buy Marvel to play around. This looks like a perfect opportunity to merge a fun project, Disney resources, and the characters of Disney/Marvel. Disney parks, comic cons, New York City, and Marvel movies seem ripe to play with something like this.


The newest superhero nemesis isn't the Joker or Kryptonite or the Red Skull. With a little knowledge, the latest superhero weapons can be much easier to develop than X-ray vision or flying faster than a speeding bullet. Positive results are emerging from a University of Cincinnati research project aimed at curbing childhood obesity.

The project was the doctoral research of Paul Branscum, who recently completed his PhD in health education from the UC College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services (CECH).

The project challenged 71 third, fourth and fifth-grade students to create their own comic books with healthy messages in mind. Branscum says early results indicate that the children were adopting those healthy behaviors.

Students were inspired to think of real and fictional characters as they wrote their stories, plus, they were encouraged to blend the following four healthy behaviors into their creations as well as their lifestyles:

Participate in at least one hour of daily physical activity.
Consume five daily servings of fruits and vegetables.
Consume sugar-free drinks and water instead of sugar-sweetened drinks.
Participate in no more than two hours of screen time per day – including TV, the Internet and video games.

For the rest of the story... http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-true-superhero-comic-combat-childhood.html

Phantom Eagle
08-02-2011, 10:34 AM
It would be interesting to see the characters in some of Marvel's All-Ages books living an extremely healthful lifestyle, and discussing some of these issues. It would also be interesting to see some of Disney's resources brought to bear on this, with possibly more rides or attractions that relied on more active participation than just sitting. Of course, Marvel also has products to sell and an MMO to promote, so I wouldn't entirely expect the entire paradigm to shift overnight.

Also, why are so many people down on sugar, without also singling out high-fructose corn syrup? Gimme a good cane sugar soda in a glass bottle over that (government-subsidized) HFCS-based crap packaged in (gene-modifying) plastic or (Alzheimer-inducing) aluminum any day of the week. Sure, kids should also be eating lots of fruit and drinking lots of water, but the occasional Mexican Pepsi is way better than a lot of the soda out there.

Stark Raving
08-02-2011, 10:41 AM
Kids still read comics?

Phantom Eagle
08-02-2011, 11:27 AM
Kids still read comics?

Maybe Marvel and Disney can combat 30-something, still-living-in-your-parents'-basement, blogging-about-flowcharts, nerd-rage, geekgasm-obsessed, MMO-gamer obesity.

bachman
08-02-2011, 11:30 AM
Do comics still have those Hostess ads? The ones that actually star the hero of the book?

Phantom Eagle
08-02-2011, 11:55 AM
Have you seen the Subway ads in the current DC comics?

MayorMitch100
08-02-2011, 11:56 AM
Give them an Absolute or Omnibus to read. Picking one of those up is work out enough.

costello
08-02-2011, 12:00 PM
I hate the word "healthful." Some kids might be reading the new Ultimate Spider-Man if the fat-ass bitch-and-moan thirty-somethings don't gobble the issues up first.

Personally, if I see a character that's physically fit and fighting crime, it's already implied that he's participating in at least one hour of daily physical activity, consuming five daily servings of fruits and vegetables, consuming sugar-free drinks and water instead of sugar-sweetened drinks, and participating in no more than two hours of screen time per day – including TV, the Internet and video games.

Spidey616
08-02-2011, 12:16 PM
http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/1/15776/1215847-fm1a_super.jpg