Kids learn to shoot down stroke with video game

By Ronnie Cohen NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – A doctor who generally advises children to turn off electronic devices urges them to play “Stroke Hero,” a video game that teaches kids to identify stroke symptoms and summon help, according to a new study. “While I recognize the hazards of video games, and I recognize the need to limit screen time, what better way to enable children to save lives than to have them play a video game?” Dr. Olajide Williams, the study’s lead author, told Reuters Health. Americans suffer nearly 800,000 strokes a year, and on average, one American dies from stroke every four minutes, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Treatment administered within four and a half hours of the first signs of stroke can save lives and reverse disabling symptoms, said Williams, who is chief of neurology at Columbia University Medical Center.