HelperFriend, a Serious Game for Promoting Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors in Children: Design and Pilot Study

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Health
• Game-Based Learning
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Health games offer a novel strategy for promoting healthy lifestyles in children.
• Educating children on physical activity, healthy eating, and socioemotional wellness is crucial for long-term health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and develop HelperFriend, a serious game promoting healthy behaviors in children.
• To evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of HelperFriend in a pilot study.

Main Methods:

• Children aged 8-11 years were randomized to an educational talk (control) or six 30-minute sessions with HelperFriend (intervention).
• Assessments included knowledge, intention to perform healthy behaviors, dietary intake, and player satisfaction at baseline and 4 weeks.
• Primary outcome was gain in knowledge; secondary outcomes included behavioral intentions and dietary changes.

Main Results:

• Intervention group showed significant increases in knowledge for physical activity, healthy eating, and socioemotional wellness.
• Participants demonstrated improved intentions for healthy behaviors and reduced intake of unhealthy foods.
• HelperFriend was well-received, indicating good feasibility and acceptability among child participants.

Conclusions:

• HelperFriend is a feasible and acceptable tool for promoting healthy lifestyles in young children.
• The game shows potential for improving children's knowledge, behavioral intentions, and dietary habits.
• Further research with a well-powered randomized controlled trial is needed to confirm HelperFriend's efficacy.