Gamification for the Improvement of Diet, Nutritional Habits, and Body Composition in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Metadata
Show full item recordAuthor
Suleiman Martos, Nora; García Lara, Rubén A.; Martos Cabrera, María Begoña; Albendín García, Luis; Romero Béjar, José Luis; Cañadas De La Fuente, Guillermo Arturo; Gómez Urquiza, Jose LuisEditorial
MDPI
Materia
Adolescents Children Dietary behaviour Game Gamification Healthy eating Nutrition
Date
2021-07-20Referencia bibliográfica
Suleiman-Martos, N... [et al.]. Gamification for the Improvement of Diet, Nutritional Habits, and Body Composition in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrients 2021, 13, 2478. [https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13072478]
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.