Children Nutrition Research Center (Houston, Tx) Site Logo
ARS Home About Us Helptop nav spacerContact Us En Espanoltop nav spacer
Printable VersionPrintable Version     E-mail this pageE-mail this page
Agricultural Research Service United States Department of Agriculture
Search
  Advanced Search
 
Programs and Projects
Subjects of Investigation
Children's Nutrition Research Center Research
Metabolic Research Unit
Body Composition Lab
Eating Behavior Laboratory
Energy Metabolism Lab
Plant Physiology Lab
Analytical Core Labs
 

Research Project: DEVELOPMENT AND PREVENTION OF CHILDHOOD OBESITY

Location: Children Nutrition Research Center (Houston, Tx)

Title: Design of video games for children's diet and physical activity behavior change

Authors
item Baranowski, Tom -
item Thompson, Deborah
item Buday, Richard -
item Lu, Amy Shirong -
item Baranowski, Janice -

Submitted to: International Association on Computer Science in Sport
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: August 1, 2010
Publication Date: December 1, 2010
Citation: Baranowski, T., Thompson, D.J., Buday, R., Lu, A., Baranowski, J. 2010. Design of video games for children's diet and physical activity behavior change. International Association on Computer Science in Sport. 9(Special Edition):3-17.

Interpretive Summary: Video games offer promise of promoting diet and physical activity behavior change among children, and adults. This paper reviews several video games developed by the Behavioral Nutrition Group, at the Children's Nutrition Research Center, Houston TX. The paper describes the behavior change procedures inserted into each video game, and presents the results of their outcome evaluations. While the results have been promising, more research is needed on how to optimally use video games for diet and physical activity behavior change.

Technical Abstract: Serious video games (VG) offer new opportunities for promoting health related diet, and physical activity change among children. Games can be designed to use storylines, characters, and behavior change procedures, including modeling (e.g., engaging characters make changes themselves, and face and overcome challenges related to fruit and vegetable (FV) and physical activity (PA) goal attainment and/or consumption), skill development (e.g., asking behaviors; virtual recipe preparation), self regulatory behaviors (problem solving, goal setting, goal review, decision making), rewards (e.g., points and positive statements generated by the program), immediate feedback (e.g., through characters and/or statements that appear on the computer screen at critical decision points), and personalization (e.g., tailored choices offered at critical junctures, based on responses to baselines questions related to preferences, outcome expectancies, etc). We are in the earliest stages of learning how to optimally design effective behavior change procedures for use in VG, and yet they have been demonstrated to change behavior. As we learn, VG offer more and better opportunities for obesity prevention that can adjust to individual needs and preferences.

   

 
Project Team
Upchurch, Dan
Thompson, Deborah - Debbe
 
Publications
   Publications
 
Related National Programs
  Human Nutrition (107)
 
Related Projects
   BEHAVIORAL PATHWAYS OF BIOLOGICAL INFLUENCES ON ENERGY BALANCE
   PREVENTION OF CHILDHOOD OBESITY THROUGH LIFESTYLE CHANGES
   WEB-BASED AND MULTI-MEDIA INTERVENTIONS TO PROMOTE HEALTHY EATING AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN FAMILIES AND YOUTH
   DEVELOPMENT OF OBESITY-RELATED EATING BEHAVIORS IN CHILDHOOD
   UNDERSTANDING ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS AND BEHAVIORAL CHANGES FOR CHILDHOOD OBESITY PREVENTION
   PHYSICAL ACTIVITY INTERVENTIONS TO PREVENT CHILDHOOD OBESITY
   CHILDHOOD OBESITY RISK FACTOR CHARACTERIZATION
 
 
Last Modified: 06/19/2013
ARS Home | USDA.gov | Site Map | Policies and Links 
FOIA | Accessibility Statement | Privacy Policy | Nondiscrimination Statement | Information Quality | USA.gov | White House