Supporting self-management of obesity using a novel game architecture

P.J. Giabbanelli*, R. Crutzen

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

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Abstract

Obesity has commonly been addressed using a one size fits all' approach centred on a combination of diet and exercise. This has not succeeded in halting the obesity epidemic, as two-thirds of American adults are now obese or overweight. Practitioners are increasingly highlighting that one's weight is shaped by myriad factors, suggesting that interventions should be tailored to the specific needs of individuals. Health games have potential to provide such tailored approach. However, they currently tend to focus on communicating and/or reinforcing knowledge, in order to suscitate learning in the participants. We argue that it would be equally, if not more valuable, that games learn from participants using recommender systems. This would allow treatments to be comprehensive, as games can deduce from the participants' behaviour which factors seem to be most relevant to his or her weight and focus on them. We introduce a novel game architecture and discuss its implications on facilitating the self-management of obesity.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)223-236
Number of pages14
JournalHealth Informatics Journal
Volume21
Issue number3
Early online date19 Feb 2014
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Sept 2015

Keywords

  • health games
  • heterogeneity
  • patient empowerment
  • recommender systems
  • WEIGHT-LOSS
  • VIDEO GAMES
  • HEALTH
  • PHYSICIANS
  • COMPUTER
  • INTERNET
  • LIFE
  • CARE
  • PERSONALIZATION
  • INTERVENTIONS

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