Abstract
The interactive and engaging nature of serious games (i.e., video games designed for educational purposes) enables deeper learning and facilitates behavior change; however, most do not specifically support the dissemination of national dietary guidelines, and there are limited data on their impact on child nutrition knowledge. The Foodbot Factory serious game mobile application was developed to support school children in learning about Canada’s Food Guide; however, its impacts on nutrition knowledge have not been evaluated. The objective of this study was to determine if Foodbot Factory effectively improves children’s knowledge of Canada’s Food Guide, compared to a control group (control app). This study was a single-blinded, parallel, randomized controlled pilot study conducted among children ages 8–10 years attending Ontario Tech University day camps. Compared to the control group (n = 34), children who used Foodbot Factory (n = 39) had significant increases in overall nutrition knowledge (10.3 ± 2.9 to 13.5 ± 3.8 versus 10.2 ± 3.1 to 10.4 ± 3.2, p < 0.001), and in Vegetables and Fruits (p < 0.001), Protein Foods (p < 0.001), and Whole Grain Foods (p = 0.040) sub-scores. No significant difference in knowledge was observed in the Drinks sub-score. Foodbot Factory has the potential to be an effective educational tool to support children in learning about nutrition.
Highlights
High nutritional quality diets are fundamental to optimal child physical growth and cognitive development [1,2]
22 participants were removed from the study: One participant from both the Foodbot Factory and control group dropped out, and ten participants from both the Foodbot Factory and control group were excluded from the analysis due to being absent from the camp for at least 2 days (n = 15), or being absent when the study outcomes were assessed (n = 5)
This study has shown that Foodbot Factory, a novel evidence-based serious game mobile application designed to teach children about Canada’s Food Guide, has the potential to be an effective learning tool that can result in long-term knowledge and nutrition outcomes in school-aged children
Summary
High nutritional quality diets are fundamental to optimal child physical growth and cognitive development [1,2]. Diets of lower nutritional quality are associated with lower cognitive and academic achievement, and a higher risk of developing long-term health issues such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease [3,4]. Many Canadian children consume excess sodium and sugar from packaged foods and beverages and insufficient amounts of beneficial foods and nutrients including protein, whole grain foods and vegetables [9], which are dietary habits that may carry over from childhood to adulthood [10]. Health promotion interventions to support the acquisition of nutrition knowledge, to improve nutrition literacy, and develop food skills during childhood are warranted in order to prevent negative health outcomes associated with poor quality diets. Nutrition knowledge and skills may be further enhanced by school-based nutrition policies and curriculum-based nutrition education [11], which are strategies employed in most jurisdictions within Canada; few studies have captured the impacts of policies [12]
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