Men wearing backpacks toting computer screens tried to drum up interest in physical fitness yesterday at Ala Moana Center.

Computer games are con- sidered by some to be the cause of all the chubbiness among America's youth, but Kaiser Permanente wanted to show shoppers yesterday that they could become svelte by playing games.

The men used Pixman Nomadic media, a technology-based street marketing system.

"We're trying to promote healthy and pass out recipe books," said Robert Reynolds, who works for a marketing company hired by Kaiser.

The marketers were called "Pixmen" and were equipped with Nintendo Wii fitness games to give shoppers an opportunity to see how easy it is to be physically fit.

With the game floating above their heads, Reynolds said, they get a lot of attention.

The newest Wii Fit game was given a thumb's up by the United Kingdom Department of Health as a way to get kids moving and to be healthy.

Nine-year-old Riley Lamarca can attest to that. He lives and breathes computer games.

On the main level of the mall, Lamarca bowled two spares in a row. The interactive games work by players holding game controllers and modeling the same actions as a bowler.

"I just used to play this all the time," said Lamarca, a fourth-grader. "I got new games now. This doesn't feel like exercise."

Maydell Werner didn't want to try the game yesterday, but said she has played it at her daughter's home.

And her grandson played her husband in an electronic game of golf. Her husband, who has played golf for 30 years, lost to the 4-year-old.

"It's a good idea for fitness," Werner said. "It requires good hand-eye coordination and involves thinking and strategy. I'm pretty good with bowling, but I'm not so good with tennis."

Kaiser Permanente has been in Hawaii for 50 years. It and the Hawaii Medical Service Association are the two major health insurance carriers in the state.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 9 million American children between the ages of 6 and 19 are overweight.

"We got pretty good reaction today from people," said Michael Lew, one of the Pixmen. "There's a significant number of people who interacted with the game. It's a great way to get your message out."