The Effect of a Serious Health Game on Children's Eating Behavior
Can Garfield Make Children Eat Healthier? A Cluster-randomized Controlled Trial to Examine the Effect of a Serious Health Game on Children's Eating Behavior
1 other identifier
interventional
157
1 country
1
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.
Trial Health
Trial Health Score
Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach
participants targeted
Target at P75+ for not_applicable
Started Apr 2018
Shorter than P25 for not_applicable
1 active site
Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.
Trial Relationships
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Study Timeline
Key milestones and dates
Study Start
First participant enrolled
April 1, 2018
CompletedPrimary Completion
Last participant's last visit for primary outcome
June 1, 2018
CompletedStudy Completion
Last participant's last visit for all outcomes
July 1, 2018
CompletedFirst Submitted
Initial submission to the registry
August 3, 2021
CompletedFirst Posted
Study publicly available on registry
August 30, 2021
CompletedAugust 30, 2021
August 1, 2021
2 months
August 3, 2021
August 26, 2021
Conditions
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcomes (1)
calorie intake of energy dense snacks (candy) and fruits (bananas and apples)
Energy dense snacks and fruits
1 week after treatment
Study Arms (2)
Serious health game
EXPERIMENTALChildren 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.
control
EXPERIMENTALChildren in this condition did not play a serious health game and were in control condition.
Interventions
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if:
- primary school between group 5 and 8
You may not qualify if:
- n.a.
Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.
Sponsors & Collaborators
Study Sites (1)
Tilburg School of Humanities and Digital Sciences
Tilburg, Netherlands
Related Publications (1)
Folkvord F, Haga G, Theben A. The Effect of a Serious Health Game on Children's Eating Behavior: Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Serious Games. 2021 Sep 2;9(3):e23050. doi: 10.2196/23050.
PMID: 34473061DERIVED
MeSH Terms
Conditions
Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Study Design
- Study Type
- interventional
- Phase
- not applicable
- Allocation
- RANDOMIZED
- Masking
- SINGLE
- Who Masked
- PARTICIPANT
- Purpose
- TREATMENT
- Intervention Model
- FACTORIAL
- Sponsor Type
- OTHER
- Responsible Party
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
- PI Title
- Assistant professor
Study Record Dates
First Submitted
August 3, 2021
First Posted
August 30, 2021
Study Start
April 1, 2018
Primary Completion
June 1, 2018
Study Completion
July 1, 2018
Last Updated
August 30, 2021
Record last verified: 2021-08