Abstract
Currently, one of the main public health problems among children and adolescents is poor adherence to healthy habits, leading to increasingly high rates of obesity and the comorbidities that accompany obesity. Early interventions are necessary, and among them, the use of gamification can be an effective method. The objective was to analyse the effect of game-based interventions (gamification) for improving nutritional habits, knowledge, and changes in body composition. A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed in CINAHL, EMBASE, LILACS, MEDLINE, SciELO, and Scopus databases, following the PRISMA recommendations. There was no restriction by year of publication or language. Only randomized controlled trials were included. Twenty-three articles were found. After the intervention, the consumption of fruit and vegetables increased, as well as the knowledge on healthy food groups. The means difference showed a higher nutritional knowledge score in the intervention group 95% CI 0.88 (0.05–1.75). No significant effect of gamification was found for body mass index z-score. Gamification could be an effective method to improve nutritional knowledge about healthier nutritional habits. Promoting the development of effective educational tools to support learning related to nutrition is necessary in order to avoid and prevent chronic diseases.
Highlights
Nowadays, the absence of a physical exercise routine and adherence to a balanced diet are two major public health problems
The forest plot and the risk of bias of each study are shown in Figures 2 and 3. This is the first systematic review and meta-analysis that analyses the benefits of interventions based on the improvement of nutritional habits, knowledge, and changes in body composition in children and adolescents
Gamification was a positive influence on dietary behaviour and nutritional knowledge
Summary
The absence of a physical exercise routine and adherence to a balanced diet are two major public health problems. The WHO emphasizes that unhealthy diets and physical inactivity are two key risk factors to develop non-communicable diseases such as, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and diabetes [3]. The intake of fruits and vegetables in the child population is under the recommended levels and that of sugar is well above the established limits, which increases the risk of developing these diseases [4]. Due to the lack of adherence to healthy habits in children and adolescents, a change in strategies focused on health promotion is required [5]. In this sense, gamification is a new, educative way that can be very useful to promote adherence to healthy habits [6]
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