New smartphone app encourages physical activity among youth
The American Heart Association and NFL partner on project
The American Heart Association (AHA) and the NFL have launched the NFL PLAY 60 app, which encourages kids to get active and healthy through an endless runner game. Funded by a grant from the NFL Foundation, the app encourages players to get their 60 minutes of daily recommended physical activity through an interactive running experience.
Players are immersed in an adventure where they are required to run, jump, pivot, and turn in place in order for their character to do the same. Players choose an avatar and run through the virtual world where they encounter obstacles, which they avoid by physically moving their bodies. Smartphones are able to measure this movement and scoring is determined by duration of play and successful navigation of obstacles.