While the Diabetes Prevention Program demonstrated that relatively small changes in diet and physical activity could substantially reduce the incidence of diabetes among high risk adults, few programs have influenced obesity or diabetes risks among children. With the increasing rates of child obesity and diabetes, innovative programs are needed that capture children's attention and permit behavior change messages to get through. Serious video games with their immersive stories offer one such promising alternative. """"""""Escape from Diab"""""""" and """"""""Nanoswarm: Invasion from Inner Space"""""""" are two video games guided in their design by four behavior change theories that were targeted at increasing fruit, vegetable and water intakes, and lowering sedentary behaviors, and have been shown to change these children's diet and physical activity practices in a pilot study with a relatively low risk sample. In light of this preliminary success, it is important to test the efficacy of these interventions on diabetes risks (i.e. fasting insulin) with higher risk children (which should increase the effect) and with a larger sample to learn how the games change behaviors using mediating variable analyses. A study with 444 high risk (85 percentile

Public Health Relevance

Fruit, vegetable, and water consumption and physical activity are still substantially below minimum recommendations, indicating increased risks for diabetes and obesity. Serious video games hold promise for promoting increases in these behaviors. The proposed research represents the next step in determining whether behavioral designed video games influence risks and behaviors in a high risk sample.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01DK091254-03
Application #
8689003
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1)
Program Officer
Hunter, Christine
Project Start
2012-09-10
Project End
2017-06-30
Budget Start
2014-07-01
Budget End
2015-06-30
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
2014
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Baylor College of Medicine
Department
Pediatrics
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
City
Houston
State
TX
Country
United States
Zip Code
77030
Radhakrishnan, Kavita; Baranowski, Thomas; Julien, Christine et al. (2018) Role of Digital Games in Self-Management of Cardiovascular Diseases: A Scoping Review. Games Health J :
Baranowski, Tom (2017) Exergaming: Hope for future physical activity? or blight on mankind? J Sport Health Sci 6:44-46
Baranowski, Tom; Blumberg, Fran; Gao, Zan et al. (2017) Getting Research on Games for Health Funded. Games Health J 6:1-8
Ledoux, Tracey; Griffith, Melissa; Thompson, Debbe et al. (2016) An educational video game for nutrition of young people: Theory and design. Simul Gaming 47:490-516
Lyons, Elizabeth J; Baranowski, Tom; Basen-Engquist, Karen M et al. (2016) Testing the effects of narrative and play on physical activity among breast cancer survivors using mobile apps: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. BMC Cancer 16:202
DeSmet, Ann; Thompson, Debbe; Baranowski, Tom et al. (2016) Is Participatory Design Associated with the Effectiveness of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion? A Meta-Analysis. J Med Internet Res 18:e94
Baranowski, Tom; Blumberg, Fran; Buday, Richard et al. (2016) Games for Health for Children-Current Status and Needed Research. Games Health J 5:1-12
Baranowski, Tom (2015) Are active video games useful to combat obesity? Am J Clin Nutr 101:1107-8
Wang, Jingjing; Baranowski, Tom; Lau, Patrick W C et al. (2015) Acceptability and Applicability of an American Health Videogame with Story for Childhood Obesity Prevention Among Hong Kong Chinese Children. Games Health J 4:513-9
Diep, Cassandra S; Hingle, Melanie; Chen, Tzu-An et al. (2015) The Automated Self-Administered 24-Hour Dietary Recall for Children, 2012 Version, for Youth Aged 9 to 11 Years: A Validation Study. J Acad Nutr Diet 115:1591-8

Showing the most recent 10 out of 18 publications