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. 2014 Dec:69:95-107.
doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2014.08.026. Epub 2014 Aug 27.

A meta-analysis of serious digital games for healthy lifestyle promotion

Ann DeSmet  1 , Dimitri Van Ryckeghem  2 , Sofie Compernolle  3 , Tom Baranowski  4 , Debbe Thompson  4 , Geert Crombez  2 , Karolien Poels  5 , Wendy Van Lippevelde  6 , Sara Bastiaensens  5 , Katrien Van Cleemput  5 , Heidi Vandebosch  5 , Ilse De Bourdeaudhuij  3
Affiliations

A meta-analysis of serious digital games for healthy lifestyle promotion

Ann DeSmet et al. Prev Med. 2014 Dec.

Abstract

Several systematic reviews have described health-promoting effects of serious games but so far no meta-analysis has been reported. This paper presents a meta-analysis of 54 serious digital game studies for healthy lifestyle promotion, in which we investigated the overall effectiveness of serious digital games on healthy lifestyle promotion outcomes and the role of theoretically and clinically important moderators. Findings showed that serious games have small positive effects on healthy lifestyles (g=0.260, 95% CI 0.148; 0.373) and their determinants (g=0.334, 95% CI 0.260; 0.407), especially for knowledge. Effects on clinical outcomes were significant, but much smaller (g=0.079, 95% CI 0.038; 0.120). Long-term effects were maintained for all outcomes except for behavior. Serious games are best individually tailored to both socio-demographic and change need information, and benefit from a strong focus on game theories or a dual theoretical foundation in both behavioral prediction and game theories. They can be effective either as a stand-alone or multi-component programs, and appeal to populations regardless of age and gender. Given that effects of games remain heterogeneous, further explorations of which game features create larger effects are needed.

Keywords: Digital games; Health promotion; Meta-analysis; Multicomponent; Serious games; Systematic review; Tailoring.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow chart of study selection process
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Forest plot of effect sizes on behavior sorted by size
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Forest plot of effect sizes on behavioral determinants sorted by size
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Forest plot of effect sizes on clinical outcomes sorted by size
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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