The Effect of a Serious Health Game on Children's Eating Behavior

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Eating Behavior
• Interventions: Behavioral: Serious health game

• Registration Number: NCT05025995
• Lead Sponsor: Tilburg University

Brief Summary

Background: Currently the dietary intake patterns of children do not meet the prescribed dietary guidelines. Consequently childhood obesity is one of the most serious health concerns. Therefore, innovative methods need to be developed and tested in order to effectively improve the dietary intake of children. Learning children how to cope with the overwhelming number of unhealthy food cues could be conducted effectively by serious health games.

Objective: The main aim of this study was to examine the effect of a serious health computer game on young children's eating behavior and attitudes towards healthy and unhealthy foods.

Methods: A cluster-randomized controlled trial with a between-subject design was conducted (N=157; 8-12 years), whereby children played a game that promoted a healthy lifestyle or were in the control condition. Children in the control condition attended regular classes and did not play a game. The game was designed in collaboration with researchers and pilot-tested before conducting the experiment among a group of children repeatedly. After one week of playing, attitudes towards food snacks and actual intake was assessed, whereby children could eat at libitum from fruits or energy-dense snacks.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2018-04-01
• Primary Completion: 2018-06-01
• Study Completion: 2018-07-01
• Status Verified: 2021-08
• Study First Submitted: 2021-08-03
• Study First Submitted QC: 2021-08-26
• Last Update Submitted: 2021-08-26
• Study First Posted: 2021-08-30
• Last Update Posted: 2021-08-30

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 157

Inclusion Criteria

• primary school between group 5 and 8

Exclusion Criteria

• n.a.

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: FACTORIAL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
control	Serious health game	Children in this condition did not play a serious health game and were in control condition.
Serious health game	Serious health game	Children played a serious health game with Garfield promoting health behavior, such as less intake of energy dense snacks, drink more water, and exercise more often.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
calorie intake of energy dense snacks (candy) and fruits (bananas and apples)	1 week after treatment	Energy dense snacks and fruits

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Tilburg School of Humanities and Digital Sciences; 🇳🇱 Tilburg, Netherlands