Abstract
BackgroundChildren with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) face daily challenges performing self-care tasks, controlling symptoms, and dealing with psychosocial issues. The use of video games to improve health is a successful support for persons with chronic diseases, promoting adequate self-management through simulations of real life. Involving future users in the development of games is essential to generating innovative, creative, and effective programs.ObjectiveOur goal is to identify what children with T1DM need to know about their disease and their self-care tasks as well as their preferences in video games.MethodsChildren with T1DM provided input about their learning needs, self-care tasks, and preferences in video games. Three categories were identified through qualitative content analysis: dealing with emotions and knowledge, practical skills and awareness, and game preferences.ResultsChildren expressed concerns about the difficulties of self-care, lack of knowledge about diabetes, and lack of awareness about the consequences of behaviors related to self-care, which contribute to inappropriate behaviors and significantly impact self-management of their disease. They expressed enthusiasm for a video game for children with diabetes that considered their needs and preferences.ConclusionsFindings support the potential benefits when children’s input is considered in game design. Consideration of customer needs and preferences is a powerful resource in the development of video games with enhanced learning experience.
Highlights
Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is one of the chronic diseases that most affect children and adolescents [1,2,3]
Children expressed concerns about the difficulties of self-care, lack of knowledge about diabetes, and lack of awareness about the consequences of behaviors related to self-care, which contribute to inappropriate behaviors and significantly impact self-management of their disease
Consideration of customer needs and preferences is a powerful resource in the development of video games with enhanced learning experience. (JMIR Diabetes 2017;2(2):e17) doi:10.2196/diabetes
Summary
Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is one of the chronic diseases that most affect children and adolescents [1,2,3]. The lack of disease understanding [4] and challenges of being a child with T1DM [5,6] may be associated with treatment nonadherence This scenario demands educational interventions that take into account individuals and consider their clinical care routine and psychosocial needs. Some studies report the positive effects of using video games on health determinants [10] and clinical outcomes [1] These games use strategies that can motivate positive behavioral changes, thereby assisting in disease self-management and health promotion [3,11]. Prompted by the potential of these tools for health improvement, our long-term objective is to develop a video game for children with T1DM that focuses on knowledge about the disease and self-care tasks. Involving future users in the development of games is essential to generating innovative, creative, and effective programs
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