Games for Health Journal最新文献

Objective: The human-computer interface is pivotal in advancing products like virtual reality (VR) games tailored for upper limb rehabilitation. Materials and Methods: A comparative study was conducted with 60 male participants, all young construction workers aged 20 to 30, who were selected from two rehabilitation centers, specifically targeting individuals with comparable upper limb dysfunctions resultant from occupational injuries, as assessed by qualified physiotherapists. The study evaluated various image presentation methodologies, two types of head-mounted displays (HMDs), tethered to a PC and a stand-alone, and a TV. Participants engaged in a series of five distinct rehabilitation games, executing a standardized sequence of movements over a 30-minute duration. Results: Findings revealed a significant correlation between the chosen interface and factors such as technology acceptance, usability, user experience, spatial presence, and perceived stress during the training sessions. To compare display methods Mann-Whitney U tests were performed. The HMD configurations generally outperformed the TV option. The stand-alone HMD particularly demonstrated superior outcomes in comparison to both, TV and HMD tethered to PC, with increases observed in intent to use (52% and 16%), overall performance (41% and 15%), and perceived usefulness (20% and 16%). The usability assessment conducted by physiotherapists yielded an average score of 74.5, indicating a consensus on the practicality and effectiveness of the system. Conclusion: The high usability of HMD aligns with previous studies. New findings concern an in-depth comparative analysis of interfaces across multiple dimensions. Future research should explore the evaluation of interfaces after long-term use and factors influencing therapy effectiveness and upper limb functionality.

Objective: To describe the gamification process of peripheral intravenous catheterization (PIVC) and intravenous fluid therapy (IFT) in nursing education and conduct usability testing of the 3D virtual simulation game. Materials and Methods: A 3D virtual simulation game was developed to teach PIVC and IFT based on the current literature, Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory, and Schell's Elemental Tetrad. The game, IntraveNurseGame, had 11 stages, and it rewarded the players with score-based titles based on Benner's clinical competence stages. Usability testing was conducted with 17 participants, including 5 nursing experts and 12 senior nursing students. Heuristic evaluation with experts, think-aloud method, and user tests were performed using the Game Evaluation Questionnaire and GUESS-20-TR-Scale. Qualitative and quantitative data analysis were used. Results: Experts were satisfied with the game experience and had fun. The game met their expectations and could help the nursing students learn the subject. Experts provided suggestions, including visual similarity of some animations, instructions regarding how to use the mouse cursor, and encouragement for students to remember the steps of the actual procedure by removing the instructions from some stages. Users scored the GUESS-20-TR mean score above the moderate level (5.71 ± 0.90), showing they were satisfied with the gaming experience. Conclusion: The 3D virtual simulation game had good usability features with some areas of improvement. The theories and elements used in this study can help nurse educators and researchers develop effective games and engaging game-rewarding systems. The usability testing provided valuable information for the games to be developed in the future.

Objective: Gaming has been suggested as an effective way to exchange social support, a resource critical to global mental health and post-pandemic recovery. Virtual and analog (pen-and-paper) table-top role-playing game (TTRPG) popularity grew during and following the pandemic; yet, unlike their video-game counterparts research into TTRPGs remains limited. Parallel to online video-games, TTRPGs may be similarly positioned to foster and promote social support. Informed by analogous gaming research, this study explored how players give and receive social support within face-to-face and virtual TTRPGs through a stress buffering lens. Materials and Methods: Using a cross-sectional survey methodology, based on the 2-way social support scale data from 186 participants was analyzed to determine if differences exist across social, demographic and gameplay variables. Results: Participants derived more meaningful social support through analog TTRPGs, although virtual TTRPG interfaces still afford meaningful social support, while benefiting from greater accessibility. Participants in the role of "game masters", who act as game facilitators and narrators, were shown to provide more social support than players, while greater levels of social support encouraged ongoing attendance. Additionally, players' consistent attendance and social familiarity enhanced given and received social support. Lastly, although similar social support was reported across genders, males were overrepresented in game-directing positions of power. Conclusion: This is the first known study to explore social support within TTRPGs. The findings have implications for the design of games to support communities, post-pandemic recovery, and therapeutic applications. Future research is encouraged.

Background: The aim of this study is to determine the effect of escape room simulation intervention on the knowledge, anxiety, and satisfaction levels of students in emergency nursing education. Methods: This randomized controlled study was conducted with 40 students studying at the nursing faculty of a university in Istanbul. The students in the intervention group (n = 20) were given an escape room simulation intervention related to emergency nursing education. The students in the control group (n = 20) were not given any intervention other than the traditional education method. Data were collected using the Knowledge Test, State Anxiety Scale, and Visual Analog Scale for satisfaction. Results: The knowledge level of the students in the intervention group measured immediately after the education (P = 0.003), 1 week after the education (P < 0.001), and 1 month after the education (P < 0.001) was found to be significantly higher than that of the control group. While no significant difference was found in anxiety levels before and after the education between the groups, a significant difference was found in anxiety levels before and after the training in the intervention group (P < 0.001). The satisfaction level measured immediately after the education was found to be significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group (P < 0.001). Conclusion: This study show that escape room simulation increased emergency nursing knowledge and satisfaction and reduced anxiety levels of the students. It is recommended that escape room simulation intervention be used in more studies in nursing education. The study was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov.tr with the number NCT06619119.

Background: Overweight and obesity are growing concerns and significant risk factors for noncommunicable diseases, especially in industrialized nations, necessitating innovative intervention strategies. Serious games designed to provide education and effectively promote behavior change have emerged as a potential solution. Methods: This research assesses a serious game developed as a modification of the popular video game "Minecraft" called "NutriMine." This modification was created based on identified requirements from a nutrition expert through a qualitative interview and a preliminary evaluation conducted in a pilot study with 11 users. Additionally, a playtest and evaluation with 20 participants from the target group, incorporating the user engagement scale (UES), system usability scale (SUS), and game experience questionnaire (GEQ), was conducted. Results: The results indicated a satisfactory level of engagement. Overall, findings also revealed positive feedback concerning the SUS (75% of participants scored above 70) and UES (75% of participants scored above 3), with most results positioned in the upper half for both scales. The evaluation using the GEQ yielded generally positive outcomes, with minor concerns related to "competence," "flow," and "immersion" due to the varying levels of Minecraft experience among participants. The combined results of the evaluation led to the formulation of requirements for a serious game modification in the area of nutrition. Conclusion: The results highlight the modification's potential for larger-scale use as an effective behavior change tool for individuals seeking to maintain a healthy diet.

Objective: Cooking plays a crucial role in healthy eating, and food exposure during cooking significantly influences people's health and well-being. Given the challenges faced by novice cooks and the general lack of interest in cooking, this research proposes utilizing a highly engaging cooking game as an alternative to real-life cooking, allowing individuals to achieve the same health-boosting benefits as traditional cooking while enjoying the game. Additionally, this study will examine the moderating role of food type and cooking manner in this process. Methods: Two preregistered behavioral experiments (N_study1 = 60, N_study2 = 54) were conducted to examine how using different types of food (healthy vs. unhealthy) in a cooking game affects subsequent food choices, and how the cooking manner (neat vs. messy) moderates this effect. Results: Study 1 found that cooking healthy food led to healthier food choices after gaming. Study 2 revealed a significant moderating effect of cooking manner: When cooking healthy food, a neat cooking manner led individuals to subsequently choose fewer healthy foods, while a messy cooking manner led to an increase; conversely, when cooking unhealthy food, participants who cooked neatly chose more healthy food, while those who cooked messily chose less healthy food. Conclusions: These findings suggest that an engaging cooking game could replace real-life cooking as a direct and effective strategy to promote healthy eating. The results also highlight the importance of context-specific strategies in designing and implementing health interventions to prevent unintended consequences arising from excessive cues.

Objective: To design a randomized controlled trial combining resistance exercise and cognitive intervention to carry out a dual-task computer-aided product design that combines hardware and software to explore the effects of different intensities of resistance exercise on cognitive function in elderly individuals with cognitive decline. Materials and Methods: Forty-eight participants (aged between 60 and 75 years) who satisfied the specified criteria were randomly assigned to one of four groups as follows: control (n = 12), low intensity (n = 12), medium intensity (n = 12), and high intensity (n = 12). The control group exclusively underwent cognitive training, whereas the experimental group underwent dual-task training at varying resistance exercise intensities. The main outcomes were short-term effects on cognitive function and lower limb strength using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), One-Rep Max (1RM) data, and training scores. The secondary outcomes were the effects of the participants' subjective fatigue and the system availability of the product. Results: The experimental group subjected to medium-intensity exercise exhibited the most substantial improvement in MoCA score (P = 0.017). All the groups achieved training scores that were substantially higher than the initial data (P < 0.05), and significant 1RM values were obtained for the left and right legs in the middle- and high-strength groups (P < 0.05). In addition, the participants indicated a positive experience with the application. Conclusions: Overall, we found support for the feasibility and acceptability of the product developed by dual-task therapy based on resistance exercise combined with cognitive intervention and showed the initial impact prospect of moderate-intensity resistance exercise. Future applications should be replicated in older individuals with Clinical trial registration: NCT06220565 Ethical approval: H2022013I decline.

The effectiveness of robot-assisted board games targeting older adults with mild cognitive impairment was investigated to improve their cognitive function, general self-efficacy, and life satisfaction and reduce depression. A quasiexperimental research design was adopted with 109 older adults from 8 long-term care facilities and day-care centers assigned to the experimental (n = 52) and comparison groups (n = 57). The experimental group underwent a 12-week cognitive training program. Both groups completed before-and-after and 3-month follow-up measurements for outcome variables, including cognitive function (scores of mini-mental state examination [MMSE] and Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale Cognitive Subscale [ADAS-Cog]), depression, general self-efficacy, and life satisfaction. The data were analyzed using the generalized estimating equation (GEE). The program's usability was assessed using the system usability scale (SUS). The GEE analyses revealed significant postintervention improvements in the experimental group's MMSE, ADAS-Cog, depression, general self-efficacy, and satisfaction with life scores. These effects persisted for the 3-month follow-up. The mean SUS score was 87.50, indicating the feasibility of robot-assisted interventions among older adults. These findings confirmed that interactive robot-assisted board games can improve cognitive function, general self-efficacy, and life satisfaction and reduce depression among older adults. The administration of long-term care facilities or day-care centers can adopt robot-assisted board games as a training tool to supplement health promotion activities to prevent cognitive deterioration and enhance mental health among older adults.

Due to the exponential growth in technology, exergames emerged as a potential tool to foster physical activity (PA) levels. This study provides an overall view of the literature on the effects of exergaming on physical fitness components among overweight and obese children and adolescents. A systematic review and meta-analysis following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines was performed in the PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases. Among the 618 articles identified at the first screening stage, 17 were retained for analysis. The results indicate positive effects of exergaming interventions in body composition outcomes, cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength, and skills performance. Results from the randomized studies with the control group revealed significant effects of exergames in decreasing body mass index (mean difference = 0.24; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.06 to 0.43, P = 0.01) and increasing cardiorespiratory fitness (Hedges's g = 0.28; 95% CI: 0.09 to 0.46, P = 0.00). Although not statistically significant, participants submitted to exergames interventions also showed decreased body weight compared to their control peers. The results emphasize the ability of exergames to enhance PA levels and physical fitness components, which might influence the health status of overweight and obese youth. However, due to the limited number of studies included in the meta-analysis (n = 4), future randomized controlled experiments are still needed to improve the understanding of the impact of exergames interventions on physical fitness.