Games for health journal
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Games for health journal · Dec 2020
Studying the Effect of Display Type and Viewing Perspective on User Experience in Virtual Reality Exergames.
Background: Physical inactivity has been identified as the fourth leading cause of death globally. It is now well established that a sedentary lifestyle is a unique risk factor for several diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, which account for about 30% of global mortality. Diabetes is a major preventable cause of costly and debilitating renal failure, heart disease, lower limb amputation, and avoidable blindness. ⋯ We also found that nausea and oculomotor were significantly higher in immersive VR. Conclusion: This pilot study demonstrates that youth who played gesture-based exergame in immersive VR had a higher level of exertion (%HRmax, calories consumption, and Borg RPE), although the number of performed gestures were not significantly different. They also felt that immersive VR was much more challenging, immersive (flow, sensory and imaginative immersion), and had a lower negative affect than a 50-inch TV; however, immersive VR was more likely to make youth have higher cybersickness.
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Games for health journal · Aug 2019
Randomized Controlled TrialA Randomized Controlled Trial on the Use of Virtual Reality for Needle-Related Procedures in Children and Adolescents in the Emergency Department.
Objective: A large number of children report fear and distress when undergoing blood work and intravenous placement. In pediatric departments, Child Life interventions are considered to be the gold standard in nonmedical pain management techniques. Virtual reality (VR) has also been identified as an effective tool for pain distraction in children undergoing painful medical procedures. ⋯ Patient satisfaction was also measured after the intervention. Results: A significant reduction in fear of pain and pain intensity was reported in all three conditions. A larger and statistically significant reduction in fear of pain was observed among children who used VR distraction compared with the CL and TV conditions, but this effect was not observed for pain intensity. The children's satisfaction with the VR procedure was significantly higher than for TV and comparable to CL. Discussion: The advantages of using VR in the ED to manage pain in children are discussed.
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Games for health journal · Feb 2019
Augmented Reality Games as a New Class of Physical Activity Interventions? The Impact of Pokémon Go Use and Gaming Intensity on Physical Activity.
To assess the health impact of augmented reality games by examining the association between Pokémon Go and physical activity among university students. ⋯ In this pilot study, Pokémon Go was associated with a transient increase in physical activity in the first week. Augmented reality games need to demonstrate a sustained positive health impact to be promoted as a new class of physical activity interventions.
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Games for health journal · Apr 2018
Influence of a Character-Based App on Children's Learning of Nutritional Information: Should Apps Be Served with a Side of Media Characters?
Childhood obesity is a health issue in the United States, associated with marketing practices in which media characters are often used to sell unhealthy products. This study examined exposure to a socially contingent touch-screen gaming app, which replied immediately, reliably, and accurately to children's actions. Children's recall of nutritional content and their liking of the character were assessed. ⋯ Results revealed that repeated exposure increased children's learning of nutritional information and liking of the character. The results contribute to our understanding of how to deliver effective nutrition information to young children in a new venue, a gaming app.
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Pokémon Go is a mobile game released in 2016 that gained great popularity. The goals of this pilot study were to investigate player's game-related behavior pattern, to evaluate Pokémon Go's impact on players' physical activity (PA) and game enjoyment, and to examine the influence of neighborhood environment on game behavior. ⋯ Pokémon Go as a location-based mobile game is a promising tool for promoting PA, but more research is needed to prolong its positive impact.