Virgina schools have implemented a new and vibrant program, designed to attrack students with a different kind of fitness program...

The program uses the video game Dance Dance Revolution to combat childhood obesity in a state which consistently ranks among the nation's highest in rates of obesity and related ailments. West Virginia was No. 1 for hypertension, No. 3 for obesity and No. 4 for diabetes in recent rankings by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

State education and health officials say they already have seen positive results. Dr. Linda Carson, the Ware Distinguished Professor in West Virginia University's School of Physical Education and a designer of the program, plans to present preliminary findings this week at a conference on obesity at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md.

After trying a pilot program in 20 schools last year, state and WVU officials and the game's maker announced in January that they would expand the Dance Dance Revolution program to all of West Virginia's 753 public schools. They trained teachers, then, this spring, introduced the program in about 150 middle schools, targeting students who are maturing and developing lifestyle habits.

"Schools are pushing to educate kids who have been born and raised in 21st-century environments," said Melanie Purkey, executive director of student services and health promotion for the West Virginia Department of Education. "This is getting kids physically active in a context that they respond to."