Promoting Occupational Health through Gamification and E-Coaching: A 5-Month User Engagement Study

Area of Science:

• Occupational health
• Behavioral science
• Human-computer interaction

Background:

• Social gamification shows promise for promoting healthy lifestyles.
• Occupational settings present unique challenges for gamification design, including fairness and privacy concerns.
• Existing systems often overlook the need for personalized goal-setting and professional guidance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore a novel two-level gamification design for occupational health.
• To investigate the impact of personalized goals and physician coaching on lifestyle improvement.
• To assess user engagement and identify design limitations in a real-world occupational setting.

Main Methods:

• A 5-month study involving 53 employees from a Dutch university.
• Implementation of a two-level game design: personal goal achievement and privacy-protected social competition.
• Inclusion of occupational physicians for personalized goal-setting and remote coaching.

Main Results:

• The gamification system improved lifestyles for approximately 50% of participants.
• Participants highly valued the role of occupational physicians in goal setting and coaching.
• One-way communication between employees and physicians hindered long-term user engagement.

Conclusions:

• A hybrid gamification approach combining personal goals with social elements and professional support can positively impact occupational health.
• Personalized goal-setting and physician involvement are crucial for effective lifestyle interventions.
• Future occupational health gamification designs should prioritize two-way communication for sustained engagement and scalability.