Gamifying App-Based Low-Intensity Psychological Interventions to Prevent Sports Injuries in Young Athletes: A Review...

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Digital Health
• Behavioral Psychology

Background:

• Sports injuries (SIs) are a growing concern, especially among young athletes.
• Traditional SI prevention programs face barriers in grass-root organizations.
• Low-intensity (LI) interventions and e-Health apps show promise but struggle with user engagement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the potential of gamification in enhancing user engagement with LI interventions for SI prevention.
• To provide guidelines for integrating gamification into app- and web-based LI interventions.
• To address the challenge of low engagement and high attrition rates in digital health interventions for athletes.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of gamification mechanics, dynamics, and aesthetics (MDA framework).
• Proposal of design guidelines for gamified LI interventions.
• Focus on self-administered techniques and non-specialized monitoring.

Main Results:

• Gamification can significantly improve motivation and adherence to LI interventions.
• Integrating game design principles can reduce attrition in digital health programs.
• Specific guidelines are proposed for effective gamified SI prevention strategies.

Conclusions:

• Gamification offers a viable solution to the engagement challenge in LI interventions for sports injury prevention.
• Well-designed gamified apps and web platforms can foster sustained user participation.
• This approach has the potential to increase the effectiveness of SI prevention programs.