The DOI matches its Crossref record; 130 of the 143 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 36 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.
A meta-analysis of serious digital games for healthy lifestyle promotion
Open accessAbstract
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 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 exploration of which game features create larger effects are needed.
Overview
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Written from the paper’s full text.
TL;DR
This first meta-analysis of serious digital games for healthy lifestyle promotion found small positive effects on behavior and its determinants and very small effects on clinical outcomes. Effects were largest for knowledge, maintained at follow-up except for behavior, and moderated by tailoring and theoretical basis.
Key findings
- Across 54 papers and 61 game evaluations, serious games improved healthy lifestyle behavior (g=0.260, 95% CI 0.148–0.373, n=314,790, k=21) and behavioral determinants (g=0.334, 95% CI 0.260–0.407, n=19,934, k=50); clinical outcomes had a very small significant effect (g=0.079, 95% CI 0.038–0.120, n=9,367, k=10).
- At second post-test, behavior effects were smaller and failed to reach significance (p=.07), while determinants and clinical outcomes remained significant and of similar magnitude; knowledge had the largest determinant effects and approximated a moderate effect at follow-up.
- Tailoring was a significant moderator only for determinants: games tailored to both socio-demographic and change-need information had higher effects than games tailored only to change needs/stages of adoption. A dual theoretical foundation in game-based learning and behavioral prediction theories related to higher determinant effects than behavioral prediction theories alone.
- Implementation method, age, gender, and study quality were not significant moderators. Heterogeneity was high for behavior and determinants, and publication bias could not be ruled out for determinants (Egger’s test t(48)=6.042, p<.001; trim-and-fill adjusted g=0.179, 95% CI 0.104–0.254).
Methods
- Systematic search of Pubmed, Web of Science, Cinahl, and PsycInfo through July 2013, plus hand-searching and author contact; 7,192 hits yielded 54 included papers, assessing 52 games in 61 evaluations.
- Random-effects Hedges’ g was used, with mixed-effects moderator analyses, Cochran’s Q and I² for heterogeneity, meta-regression for continuous moderators, and sensitivity analyses for outliers, pre-test–post-test correlations, and publication bias.
- Primary outcomes were behavior, knowledge, behavioral intentions, perceived barriers, skills, attitudes, subjective norm, and self-efficacy; clinical outcomes were secondary. Study quality was assessed with EPHPP; interrater reliability was ICC=0.90 for coding and ICC=0.98 for quality.
Limitations
- Stated: “no evidence for an effect” does not equal “evidence for no effect”; some analyses were likely underpowered (e.g., mental health, social behavior, clinical outcomes). Other factors such as game features were not included and may explain heterogeneity. Publication bias is a concern, and analyses were limited by information available in manuscripts and from researchers. The review included various health behaviors that may be difficult to compare.
- Evident from the text: heterogeneity was high for behavior and determinants; some moderator categories had fewer than 3 studies and were not analyzed (e.g., tailoring by socio-demographic information only); only one game for the elderly was included, and subjective norms were measured in only one study.
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Claims the paper makes
45 Own result · 26 Not checked yet · 10 No basis given · 9 Own method · 6 Own interpretation
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“This was, however, the opposite at second post-test: here the greater the time elapsed until post-test measurement, the smaller the effect size for behavior”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Influence of study, sample and game characteristics as moderators of game effectiveness
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“There were no significant differences in average effect size on behavior nor on its determinants or clinical outcome by health domain.”
- Also stated in: § Effectiveness of games in changing healthy lifestyles · plain
“No significant heterogeneity was observed between games’ effects in different health domains.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Effectiveness of games in changing healthy lifestyles
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
- Also stated in: § Effectiveness of games in changing healthy lifestyles · plain
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“and their determinants (g=0.334, 95% CI 0.260; 0.407), especially for knowledge.”
- Also stated in: § Effectiveness of games in changing healthy lifestyles · plain
“For behavioral determinants, average effect size was similarly small (g=0.334 (95% CI 0.260; 0.407), n=19934, k=50)”
- Also stated in: § Discussion · plain
“improved antecedents that determine adoption (g=0.334, 95% CI 0.260; 0.407)”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Abstract
plaindirectn = 19,934- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
- Also stated in: § Effectiveness of games in changing healthy lifestyles · plain
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The elapsed time between the last time the game was played and when the outcome was measured, was a significant moderator in the games’ effects, but only for behavior. More specifically, the greater the amount of time between the last game play and first post-test for behavior, the larger the effect size (Table 8).”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Influence of study, sample and game characteristics as moderators of game effectiveness
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“This inverse relation between time and effect was also true for behavioral determinants (Table 8).”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Influence of study, sample and game characteristics as moderators of game effectiveness
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“None of the other study characteristics were significant moderators in the average effects on behavior, determinants or clinical outcomes.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Influence of study, sample and game characteristics as moderators of game effectiveness
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“For behavioral determinants, games tailored only by change needs or stages of adoption had a lower effect size than games which were not tailored or tailored to both socio-demographics and change needs.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Influence of study, sample and game characteristics as moderators of game effectiveness
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Implementation method was not a significant moderator of game effectiveness for either behavior, determinants or clinical outcomes (Table 5–7).”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Influence of study, sample and game characteristics as moderators of game effectiveness
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“For behavior, games evaluated in a post-test only control groups design had a lower average effect size (borderline significant) than games evaluated in other study designs (Table 5).”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Influence of study, sample and game characteristics as moderators of game effectiveness
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“In our review, effects on self-efficacy were unexpectedly small.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Discussion
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- It may state two separate claims as one. 24
- Probably not a substantial claim. 19
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Using Duval’s and Tweedie’s Trim and Fill approach to impute missing studies to the left of the mean, adjusted average g for behavioral determinants was reduced to g=0.179 (95% CI 0.104; 0.254) but remained significant.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Effectiveness of games in changing healthy lifestyles
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Among specific behavioral determinants, the largest effects were found for improvement in knowledge and attitudes; however, all effect sizes were small.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Influence of study, sample and game characteristics as moderators of game effectiveness
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The type of theoretical foundation significantly affected effectiveness for behavioral determinants, but not for behavior or clinical outcomes (Table 5–7).”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Influence of study, sample and game characteristics as moderators of game effectiveness
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Neither the average age of participants nor the percentage of women in the sample was a significant moderator on game effectiveness on behavior, determinants or clinical outcomes (note: only one game for the elderly was included) (Table 8).”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Influence of study, sample and game characteristics as moderators of game effectiveness
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Funnel plot and Egger’s Test (t(48)=6.042, p<.001) indicated publication bias could not be ruled out for effects on behavioral determinants with a tendency for smaller published studies to report higher effect sizes.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Effectiveness of games in changing healthy lifestyles
hedgedcorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Individual tailoring was only a significant moderator for the effects on behavioral determinants, but not for behavior or clinical outcomes (Table 5–7).”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Influence of study, sample and game characteristics as moderators of game effectiveness
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Both forms of implementation had significant average effect sizes for behavioral determinants and clinical outcomes. Average effects on behavior of stand-alone games however showed only a trend to significance.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Influence of study, sample and game characteristics as moderators of game effectiveness
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Games based purely on behavioral prediction theories had the lowest average effect size. Their effects were however still significant (Table 6).”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Influence of study, sample and game characteristics as moderators of game effectiveness
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The quality of the study did not significantly affect the effectiveness for behavior, determinants or clinical outcomes (Table 5–7).”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Influence of study, sample and game characteristics as moderators of game effectiveness
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“For effects on behavior (t(19)=1.51, p=0.07) and on clinical outcomes (t(8)=0.762, p=0.233), Egger’s Test on publication bias was not significant.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Effectiveness of games in changing healthy lifestyles
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“There was high heterogeneity between games’ effects for behavior and behavioral determinants, both at first post-test and at follow-up test, but not for clinical outcomes.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Effectiveness of games in changing healthy lifestyles
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“For behavioral determinants and clinical outcomes, average effect size at second post-test measurement was significant and of similar magnitude as at first post-measurement (Table 3).”
- Also stated in: § Abstract · plain
“Long-term effects were maintained for all outcomes except for behavior.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Effectiveness of games in changing healthy lifestyles
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
- Also stated in: § Abstract · plain
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Average effect size for behavior at second post-test measurement was smaller than at first post-intervention measurement and failed to reach significance (p=.07).”
- Also stated in: § Discussion · plain
“Although effects at follow-up measurement were significant and positive for most outcomes, they were smaller than at the immediate post-measurement, and failed to reach significance for behavior.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Effectiveness of games in changing healthy lifestyles
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
- Also stated in: § Discussion · plain
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“At second post-test, average effect size remained highest for knowledge and approximated a moderate effect size, but average effects were smaller for other behavioral determinants compared to first post-measurement (with the exception of subjective norms, measured in only one study) (Table 4).”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Influence of study, sample and game characteristics as moderators of game effectiveness
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
- The authors state this as an assumption: The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“As yet, no meta-analysis of serious games for healthy lifestyle promotion has been reported.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Introduction
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
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- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
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Probably not a substantial claim. The paper may give no reason why it holds.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Often game studies briefly mentioned which theoretical foundation was used, but not how theoretical techniques were applied to address the target outcome.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Discussion
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
The paper states this without a source or data behind it here, so there is nothing to check it against. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“They were effective either as a stand-alone or multi-component program”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Conclusions
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“suggesting a curvilinear relation, in which a minimal time is needed to practice the behavior at first post-test to have effects, but where a longer follow-up time showed smaller effects on behavior.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Influence of study, sample and game characteristics as moderators of game effectiveness
hedgedcorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“as was the case for self-efficacy, which is another determinant with a strong association with behavior change (Bartholomew, Parcel, Kok, Gottlieb, & Fernàndez 2011).”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Bartholomew, Parcel, Kok, Gottlieb, & Fernàndez 2011
boostedcorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Games are thought to provide a good medium for increasing self-efficacy as they offer the opportunity for enactive experience in a safe environment, without real-life consequences to making wrong decisions (Peng 2008;Prensky 2007).”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Peng 2008 source
- Not checked yetcites Prensky 2007
hedgedconditional- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Many other game characteristics (e.g. use of a narrative, challenge in the game, co-design, scaffolding levels) (Kapp 2012;Lu, Baranowski, Thompson, & Buday 2012) may influence game effectiveness and may be applied differently in stand-alone or multi-component games.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Kapp 2012
- Not checked yetcites Lu, Baranowski, Thompson, & Buday 2012
hedgedconditional- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“Other studies have indeed reported that the terminology of theories is not used in a consistent manner across interventions and that one term may be used to represent different techniques, as well as that different labels may be used for the same technique (Michie et al. 2011a).”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Michie et al. 2011a
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Interpretation and application of theories may therefore have been different across game studies.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Discussion
hedged- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“It appeared insufficient to tailor games only to behavioral change needs, instead games are best tailored by both socio-demographic information (e.g. age, gender, body frame) and behavioral change needs (e.g. current level of lifestyle adoption, already acquired knowledge, stages of change, or motivation).”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Discussion
hedgeddirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“For one study (Jantz et al. 2002) the effect size of one outcome exceeded the outlier threshold; this outcome was hence removed from the analyses.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Effectiveness of games in changing healthy lifestyles
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Jantz et al. 2002 source
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“For computer-tailored interventions, the use of self-regulation theories has been recommended to improve effectiveness (Lustria, Cortese, Noar, & Glueckauf 2009).”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Lustria, Cortese, Noar, & Glueckauf 2009 source
plainconditional- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Methods used in non-game healthy lifestyle interventions to maintain a long-term effect on behavior were providing reinforcement throughout follow-up, having booster sessions, sending tailored reminders, using self-regulation and anticipatory coping techniques to deal with potential relapse, integrating Motivational Interviewing techniques and creating healthy-behavior-facilitating changes in the”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Discussion
What the sources say
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“For games, dynamic tailoring has been recommended based on the difficulty level the player can master (e.g. via providing hints when the challenge is too hard), to ensure flow and to provide all players with an optimal level of challenge (Charles et al. 2005;Wilson et al. 2009).”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Charles et al. 2005
- Not checked yetcites Wilson et al. 2009 source
plainconditional- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
In the paper
“while leisure games are played 7 hours per week on average (Boyle, Connolly, Hainey, & Boyle 2012).”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Boyle, Connolly, Hainey, & Boyle 2012
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“These were coded separately in our meta-analyses, singling out effect of intervention duration versus duration until measurement.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Discussion
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim.
In the paper
“They reported that interventions lasting fewer than 12 weeks more often achieved their objectives than interventions lasting longer.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Primack, Carroll, McNamara, Klem, King, Rich, Chan, & Nayak 2012
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
In the paper
“Decreasing risky behavior may be harder to achieve than increasing health-promoting behavior (Adriaanse et al. 2011).”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Limitations
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites Adriaanse et al. 2011 source
hedgedconditional- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Our meta-analysis did not distinguish between reducing unhealthy behavior or increasing healthy actions.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Limitations
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“These features were not included here.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Limitations
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Lastly, this review included various types of health behaviors, which may be difficult to compare.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Limitations
hedgedconditional- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Third, publication bias is always a concern: reported effect sizes may be overestimated (e.g. behavioral determinants).”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Limitations
hedgedconditional- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: fails — The paper may give no reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. The paper may give no reason why it holds. It may state two separate claims as one.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The analyses were furthermore limited by the information available in the manuscripts and that additionally obtained from the researchers.”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Limitations
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
The authors state this as an assumption.
The pre-test-post-test correlation is 0.50 for effect size calculation.
“pre-test-post-test correlations set lower (0.20) and higher (0.80) than the standard assumption of 0.50”
The paper relies on this without support.
The theoretical foundation categories coded from the primary studies accurately represent the theories actually used in those games.
“Often game studies briefly mentioned which theoretical foundation was used, but not how theoretical techniques were applied to address the target outcome.”
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
The source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“The most comparable serious games for health meta-analysis in terms of inclusion and exclusion criteria is DeSmet et al. (2014), which found 53 studies published between 1989 and 2013 (avg. 2 studies/year).”
From Gamification for health and wellbeing: A systematic review of the literature (2016) · cites this paper as DeSmet et al. (2014)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredIn the citing paper
“Although the scientific evaluation of serious games precludes making conclusive statements about their impact on “real-world” behaviors, several controlled trials of serious games have shown to affect these behaviors in diverse patient groups [42].”
In the citing paper
“A zeitgeist has emerged in the medical and educational fields for applied or “serious” games as tools for enhancing medical care [58-61].”
From Use of the Principles of Design Thinking to Address Limitations of Digital Mental Health Interventions for Youth: Viewpoint (2019) · cites this paper as [59]
Statistics recomputed
Every reported test result, recomputed from its test statistic and degrees of freedom. A result shows as not adding up only once an independent check has confirmed it.
- Not confirmedt(19) = 1.51reported p = .07 · recomputed p = .147
“t(19)=1.51, p = .07”
- Not confirmedt(8) = 0.762reported p = .233 · recomputed p = .468
“t(8)=0.762, p = .233”
- Consistentt(48) = 6.042reported p < .001 · recomputed p < .001
“t(48)=6.042, p < .001”
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.
Rated minor: it would not touch a result — a value no result rests on, a p-value that stays on the same side of the significance level, or a conflict that is clerical, resolved elsewhere in the paper, or outside its own findings.
In the paper
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Abstract
“Effects on clinical outcomes were significant, but much smaller (g=0.079, 95% CI 0.038; 0.120).”
§ A Meta-Analysis of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion > Results > Effectiveness of games in changing healthy lifestyles
“the average effect size on clinical outcomes was very small, but significant (g=0.079 (95% CI 0.039; 0.120), n=9367, k=10)”
Citations
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“Other studies have indeed reported that the terminology of theories is not used in a consistent manner across interventions and that one term may be used to represent different techniques, as well as that different labels may be used for the same technique (Michie et al., 2011a).”
BackgroundMethodBorenstein, M., Hedges, L. V., Higgins, J. P. T., & Rothstein, H. R. (2021) · doi:10.1002/9781119558378 · Cited by 9,799
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MethodLopez, A. D., Mathers, C. D., Ezzati, M., Jamison, D. T., & Murray, C. J. (2006) · The Lancet · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(06)68770-9 · Cited by 5,630 · cited 1×
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BackgroundKapp, K. M. (2012) · Cited by 3,753
How should meta‐regression analyses be undertaken and interpreted?
Thompson, S. G., & Higgins, J. P. T. (2002) · Statistics in Medicine · doi:10.1002/sim.1187 · Cited by 3,026 · cited 1×
“Meta-regression (methods-of-moments procedure) was performed for continuous moderators (Thompson and Higgins, 2002), where the slope ( β ) and its p-value indicated the importance of this moderator in understanding linear changes in effect sizes.”
MethodHuber, M., Knottnerus, J. A., Green, L., van der Horst, H. E., Jadad, A. R., Kromhout, D., Leonard, B. E., Lorig, K. R., Loureiro, I., Meer, J. W. M. V. D., et al. (2011) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.d4163 · Cited by 2,983 · cited 2×
“Healthy lifestyles were defined as the ability to adapt and self manage mental, social and physical health, in line with a recent conceptualization of health (Huber et al., 2011).”
BackgroundMethodA systematic literature review of empirical evidence on computer games and serious games
Connolly, T. M., Boyle, E. A., MacArthur, E., Hainey, T., & Boyle, J. M. (2012) · Computers & Education · doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2012.03.004 · Cited by 2,890 · cited 2×
“Serious games are theorized to derive their learning effects from at least three sources: 1) by creating immersion or transportation, a state in which the player becomes absorbed in the play without disbelief, while creating personally relevant experiences and deep affection for the characters; 2) by establishing flow…”
BackgroundWebb, T. L., Joseph, J., Yardley, L., & Michie, S. (2010) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.1376 · Cited by 2,517 · cited 1×
“Merely using behavioral prediction theories was associated with the smallest effects in our meta-analysis, whereas reviews on computer-tailored interventions have reported moderate effects for programs only based on behavioral prediction theories (Webb et al., 2010).”
MethodDoes tailoring matter? Meta-analytic review of tailored print health behavior change interventions
Noar, S. M., Benac, C. N., & Harris, M. S. (2007) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.133.4.673 · Cited by 2,136 · cited 2×
“…the strongest effects when based on both theoretical concepts (e.g. stages of change, decisional balance, attitudes) and user characteristics (Noar et al., 2007) and performed via dynamic tailoring, in which tailoring is continuously adjusted during the intervention n = combinedsamplesize;k…”
BackgroundAn active and socially integrated lifestyle in late life might protect against dementia
Fratiglioni, L., Paillard-Borg, S., & Winblad, B. (2004) · The Lancet Neurology · doi:10.1016/s1474-4422(04)00767-7 · Cited by 2,135 · cited 1×
“…differences between studies, and concluded that reasons for these differences are as yet unclear (Baranowski et al., 2008; DeShazo et al., 2010; Gamberini et al., 2008; Guse et al., 2012; Guy et al., 2011; Kato, 2010; Kharrazi et al., 2012; Lu et al., 2012; Papastergiou, 2009; Primack et al.,…”
BackgroundPlanning health promotion programs an intervention mapping approach
Bartholomew, L. K., Parcel, G. S., Kok, G., & Gottlieb, N. (2006) · Cited by 2,038
A meta-analysis of the cognitive and motivational effects of serious games.
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Effectiveness of Self-Management Training in Type 2 Diabetes
Norris, S. L., Engelgau, M. M., & Venkat Narayan, K. M. (2001) · Diabetes Care · doi:10.2337/diacare.24.3.561 · Cited by 1,846 · cited 1×
“…techniques to deal with potential relapse, integrating Motivational Interviewing techniques and creating healthy-behavior-facilitating changes in the environment via multi-level programs (Jacobs et al., 2004; Lustria et al., 2009; Martins and McNeil, 2009; Norris et al., 2001; Orleans, 2000).”
MethodMichie, S., Ashford, S., Sniehotta, F. F., Dombrowski, S. U., Bishop, A., & French, D. P. (2011) · Psychology & Health · doi:10.1080/08870446.2010.540664 · Cited by 1,756 · cited 2×
“More detailed process descriptions on how theory guided change in specific target outcomes, e.g. using the Intervention Mapping Protocol (Bartholomew et al., 2011) or the Behavior Change Wheel (Michie et al., 2011b), are needed.”
BackgroundThe Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile: development and psychometric characteristics.
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“These categories were based on the dimensions in the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile (Walker et al., 1987), and can be considereddifferent, yet interrelated, healthy lifestyles.”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialBaranowski, T., Buday, R., Thompson, D. I., & Baranowski, J. (2008) · American Journal of Preventive Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2007.09.027 · Cited by 998 · cited 4×
“An exception was the review of Baranowski et al. which included games for healthy diet, physical activity and illness self-management (Baranowski et al., 2008).”
BackgroundInfluentialSelf-citationFoundations of Clinical Research
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A META‐ANALYTIC EXAMINATION OF THE INSTRUCTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS OF COMPUTER‐BASED SIMULATION GAMES
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“Furthermore, strategies recommended to overcome low reach and adoption of computer-tailored interventions, such as higher interactivity and visual attractiveness (Crutzen et al., 2008, 2011), are inherent in serious games.”
BackgroundA meta-analysis of computer-tailored interventions for health behavior change
Krebs, P., Prochaska, J. O., & Rossi, J. S. (2010) · Preventive Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2010.06.004 · Cited by 854
Serious games : mechanisms and effects
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A Large-Scale Evaluation of the KiVa Antibullying Program: Grades 4–6
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“…concentration in which the player experiences a balance between skills and challenge; and 3) by meeting the individuals' needs for mastery, autonomy, connectedness, arousal, diversion, fantasy, or challenge (Annetta, 2010; Boyle et al., 2012; Connolly et al., 2012; Kapp, 2012; Lu et al., 2012).”
BackgroundHuizenga, J. C., Admiraal, W., Akkerman, S. F., & Dam, G. T. M. T. (2009) · Journal of Computer Assisted Learning · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2729.2009.00316.x · Cited by 602 · cited 1×
“An educational game showed that, possibly, more time may be needed to create learning effects via game-based learning than with traditional methods (Huizenga et al., 2009).”
BackgroundPapastergiou, M. (2009) · Comput. Educ. · doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2009.04.001 · Cited by 598 · cited 4×
“…for these differences are as yet unclear (Baranowski et al., 2008; DeShazo et al., 2010; Gamberini et al., 2008; Guse et al., 2012; Guy et al., 2011; Kato, 2010; Kharrazi et al., 2012; Lu et al., 2012; Papastergiou, 2009; Primack et al., 2012; Rahmani and Boren, 2012; Wilkinson et al., 2008).”
BackgroundResultInfluentialReview of Motivational Interviewing in promoting health behaviors
Martins, R. K., & McNeil, D. W. (2009) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2009.02.001 · Cited by 584 · cited 1×
“…or leisure purposes (e.g. commercial exergames such as Wii) Digital game Includes all games using computer technologies as the delivery media (Mäyrä, 2008) Games not played on digital media (e.g. board games) For healthy lifestyle promotion Health behaviors covered in this review were…”
Students’ perceptions about the use of video games in the classroom
Bourgonjon, J., Valcke, M., Soetaert, R., & Schellens, T. (2009) · Computers & Education · doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2009.10.022 · Cited by 574 · cited 1×
“Players of educational games, however, also appeared to be willing to spend more learning time on games than on learning via traditional methods, provided that the challenge in the game was feasible (Bourgonjon et al., 2010; Squire, 2005).”
BackgroundComputer-tailored health interventions delivered over the web: Review and analysis of key components
Lustria, M. L. A., Cortese, J., Noar, S. M., & Glueckauf, R. L. (2009) · Patient Education and Counseling · doi:10.1016/j.pec.2008.08.023 · Cited by 566 · cited 1×
“…techniques to deal with potential relapse, integrating Motivational Interviewing techniques and creating healthy-behavior-facilitating changes in the environment via multi-level programs (Jacobs et al., 2004; Lustria et al., 2009; Martins and McNeil, 2009; Norris et al., 2001; Orleans, 2000).”
MethodRelationships Between Game Attributes and Learning Outcomes: Review and Research Proposals
Wilson, K. A., Bedwell, W. L., Lazzara, E. H., Salas, E., Burke, C. S., Estock, J. L., Orvis, K. L., & Conkey, C. (2009) · Simulation & Gaming · doi:10.1177/1046878108321866 · Cited by 524 · cited 1×
“For games, dynamic tailoring has been recommended based on the difficulty level the player canmaster (e.g. via providing hints when the challenge is too hard), to ensure flow and to provide all players with an optimal level of challenge (Charles et al., 2005; Wilson et al., 2009).”
BackgroundThe “I's” Have It: A Framework for Serious Educational Game Design
Annetta, L. A. (2010) · Review of General Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0018985 · Cited by 521 · cited 2×
“Serious games are theorized to derive their learning effects from at least three sources: 1) by creating immersion or transportation, a state in which the player becomes absorbed in the play without disbelief, while creating personally relevant experiences and deep affection for the characters; 2) by establishing flow…”
BackgroundRole of Video Games in Improving Health-Related Outcomes
Primack, B. A., Carroll, M. V., McNamara, M., Klem, M. L., King, B. E., Rich, M., Chan, C. W., & Nayak, S. (2012) · American Journal of Preventive Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2012.02.023 · Cited by 521 · cited 4×
“The duration of the full intervention did not relate to a different effectiveness, in contrast with the finding of Primack et al. (2012).”
BackgroundResultInfluentialVideo Games in Health Care: Closing the Gap
Kato, P. M. (2010) · Review of General Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0019441 · Cited by 502 · cited 3×
“…for these differences are as yet unclear (Baranowski et al., 2008; DeShazo et al., 2010; Gamberini et al., 2008; Guse et al., 2012; Guy et al., 2011; Kato, 2010; Kharrazi et al., 2012; Lu et al., 2012; Papastergiou, 2009; Primack et al., 2012; Rahmani and Boren, 2012; Wilkinson et al., 2008).”
BackgroundEducational video game for juvenile diabetes: results of a controlled trial
Brown, S. J., Lieberman, D. A., Gemeny, B. A., Fan, Y. C., Wilson, D. M., & Pasta, D. J. (1997) · Medical Informatics · doi:10.3109/14639239709089835 · Cited by 477
Silver, M., & Oakes, P. (2001) · Autism · doi:10.1177/1362361301005003007 · Cited by 455
Adriaanse, M. A., Vinkers, C. D. W., De Ridder, D. T. D., Hox, J. J., & De Wit, J. B. F. (2011) · Appetite · doi:10.1016/j.appet.2010.10.012 · Cited by 455 · cited 1×
“Decreasing risky behavior may be harder to achieve than increasing health-promoting behavior (Adriaanse et al., 2011).”
BackgroundPortnoy, D. B., Scott-Sheldon, L. A. J., Johnson, B. T., & Carey, M. P. (2008) · Preventive Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2008.02.014 · Cited by 451
Is playing exergames really exercising? A meta-analysis of energy expenditure in active video games
Peng, W., Lin, J.-H., & Crouse, J. (2011) · Cyberpsychology Behavior and Social Networking · doi:10.1089/cyber.2010.0578 · Cited by 431 · cited 3×
“…were coded: 1) Pre-test – post-test with control group (randomized on individual level); 2) pre-test – post-test with non-equivalent control group (randomized at group level); 3) post-test only controlgroupdesign;and4)non-equivalentpost-testonlycontrolgroupdesign (Portney and Watkins, 2009).”
BackgroundMethodInterventions Using New Digital Media to Improve Adolescent Sexual Health: A Systematic Review
Guse, K., Levine, D., Martins, S. L., Lira, A., Gaarde, J., Westmorland, W., & Gilliam, M. L. (2012) · Journal of Adolescent Health · doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2012.03.014 · Cited by 431
Peng, W., Lin, J.-H., Pfeiffer, K. A., & Winn, B. (2012) · Media Psychology · doi:10.1080/15213269.2012.673850 · Cited by 426
Motivators and barriers for physical activity in the oldest old: A systematic review
Baert, V., Gorus, E., Mets, T. F., Geerts, C., & Bautmans, I. (2011) · Ageing Research Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.arr.2011.04.001 · Cited by 424 · cited 1×
“Healthy lifestyle adoption and maintenance, however, are often hindered by motivational issues, lack of time to participate in health promotion programs, and the interventions' low reach into the target group (Baert et al., 2011; McGuire et al., 2013; Toobert et al., 2002).”
BackgroundBehavioral determinants of healthy aging1
Peel, N. M., McClure, R., & Bartlett, H. (2005) · American Journal of Preventive Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2004.12.002 · Cited by 414 · cited 1×
“Games are thought to provide a good medium for increasing self-ef fi cacy as they offer the opportunity for enactive experience in a safe environment, without real-life consequences to making wrong decisions (Peng, 2008; Prensky, 2007).”
BackgroundChanging the Game: What Happens When Video Games Enter the Classroom?
Squire, K. D. (2005) · NSUWorks (Nova Southeastern University) · Cited by 409
Thompson, D. I., Baranowski, T., Buday, R., Baranowski, J. C., Thompson, V. J., Jago, R., & Griffith, M. J. (2008) · Simulation & Gaming · doi:10.1177/1046878108328087 · Cited by 386 · cited 1×
“…information, modeling of positive health behaviors, the creation of opportunities to practice healthy lifestyle skills (Kato, 2010), by changing mediators (e.g. selfregulatory skill development), and by applying change procedures (e.g. tailoring and goal-setting) (Thompson et al., 2010, 2012).”
MethodSelf-citationBeaumont, R., & Sofronoff, K. (2008) · Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry · doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2008.01920.x · Cited by 384
Tanaka, J. W., Wolf, J. M., Klaiman, C., Koenig, K., Cockburn, J., Herlihy, L., Brown, C., Stahl, S., Kaiser, M. D., & Schultz, R. T. (2010) · Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry · doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2010.02258.x · Cited by 318
Baranowski, T., Baranowski, J. C., Cullen, K. W., Marsh, T., Islam, N. G., Zakeri, I., Honess-Morreale, L., & deMoor, C. (2003) · American Journal of Preventive Medicine · doi:10.1016/s0749-3797(02)00570-6 · Cited by 316
Self-citationIncreasing Nutrition Literacy: Testing the Effectiveness of Print, Web site, and Game Modalities
Silk, K. J., Sherry, J., Winn, B. M., Keesecker, N. M., Horodynski, M. A. O., & Sayir, A. (2008) · Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.jneb.2007.08.012 · Cited by 284
Self-regulatory Processes in the Adoption and Maintenance of Health Behaviors
Schwarzer, R. (1999) · Journal of Health Psychology · doi:10.1177/135910539900400208 · Cited by 274
Internet-Enabled Interactive Multimedia Asthma Education Program: A Randomized Trial
Krishna, S., Francisco, B. D., Balas, E. A., König, P., Graff, G. R., & Madsen, R. (2003) · PEDIATRICS · doi:10.1542/peds.111.3.503 · Cited by 274
Video Game Play, Child Diet, and Physical Activity Behavior Change
Baranowski, T., Baranowski, J. C., Thompson, D. I., Buday, R., Jago, R., Griffith, M. J., Islam, N. G., Nguyen, N. T., & Watson, K. B. (2010) · American Journal of Preventive Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2010.09.029 · Cited by 248 · cited 1×
“This finding supports hypotheses from previous articles suggesting that a good theoretical blending of the ‘fun’ and ‘educational’ element is critical in game effectiveness (Baranowski et al., 2011; DeShazo et al., 2010; Kato, 2012; Kharrazi et al., 2012; Papastergiou, 2009).”
ResultSelf-citationGoing to scale: A nonrandomized nationwide trial of the KiVa antibullying program for grades 1–9.
Kärnä, A., Voeten, M., Little, T. D., Poskiparta, E., Alanen, E., & Salmivalli, C. (2011) · Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0025740 · Cited by 237
Schrader, C., & Bastiaens, T. J. (2011) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2011.11.011 · Cited by 222 · cited 1×
“…to increase game enjoymentwere found to increase cognitive load and decrease the performance on the educational task: players were focusing onmastering the game requirements, which competed with the cognitive resources available to grasp the educational content (Schrader and Bastiaens, 2012).”
BackgroundPlanning Health Promotion Programs
Hicking-Woodison, L. (2017) · Nursing Management · doi:10.7748/nm.24.7.21.s24 · Cited by 213
It's Your Game: Keep It Real: Delaying Sexual Behavior with an Effective Middle School Program
Tortolero, S. R., Markham, C. M., Peskin, M. F., Shegog, R., Addy, R. C., Escobar‐Chaves, S. L., & Baumler, E. R. (2009) · Journal of Adolescent Health · doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2009.06.008 · Cited by 203
Online video game therapy for mental health concerns: a review
Wilkinson, N., Ang, R. P., & Goh, D. H. (2008) · International Journal of Social Psychiatry · doi:10.1177/0020764008091659 · Cited by 194 · cited 1×
“For games, dynamic tailoringhas been recommended based on the dif fi culty level the player can master (e.g. via providing hints when the challenge is too hard), to ensure fl ow and to provide all players with an optimal level of challenge (Charles et al., 2005; Wilson et al., 2009).”
MethodA GAME-BASED LEARNING APPROACH TO IMPROVING STUDENTS' LEARNING ACHIEVEMENTS IN A NUTRITION COURSE
Yien, J.-M., Hung, C., Hwang, G., & Lin, Y.-C. (2011) · The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology · Cited by 194
Design and Evaluation of a Computer Game to Promote a Healthy Diet for Young Adults
Peng, W. (2009) · Health Communication · doi:10.1080/10410230802676490 · Cited by 192
Orleans, C. T. (2000) · Health Psychology · doi:10.1037/0278-6133.19.suppl1.76 · Cited by 174 · cited 1×
“…techniques to deal with potential relapse, integrating Motivational Interviewing techniques and creating healthy-behavior-facilitating changes in the environment via multi-level programs (Jacobs et al., 2004; Lustria et al., 2009; Martins and McNeil, 2009; Norris et al., 2001; Orleans, 2000).”
MethodBartholomew, L. K., Gold, R. S., Parcel, G. S., Czyzewski, D. I., Sockrider, M. M., Fernández, M., Shegog, R., & Swank, P. R. (2000) · Patient Education and Counseling · doi:10.1016/s0738-3991(99)00046-4 · Cited by 173
Relationship between physical activity and general mental health
Kim, Y. S., Park, Y. S., Allegrante, J. P., Marks, R., Ok, H., Ok Cho, K., & Garber, C. E. (2012) · Preventive Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2012.08.021 · Cited by 169 · cited 1×
“…lifestyles comprise an array of potentially modifiable behaviors that can prevent a wide range of diseases, such as some cancers, cardiovascular diseases, stroke, dementia, mental illness, and diabetes (Fratiglioni et al., 2004; Kim et al., 2012; Lopez et al., 2006; Peel et al., 2005).”
BackgroundStory Immersion of Videogames for Youth Health Promotion: A Review of Literature
Lu, A. S., Baranowski, T., Thompson, D. I., & Buday, R. (2012) · Games for Health Journal · doi:10.1089/g4h.2011.0012 · Cited by 169 · cited 3×
“…for these differences are as yet unclear (Baranowski et al., 2008; DeShazo et al., 2010; Gamberini et al., 2008; Guse et al., 2012; Guy et al., 2011; Kato, 2010; Kharrazi et al., 2012; Lu et al., 2012; Papastergiou, 2009; Primack et al., 2012; Rahmani and Boren, 2012; Wilkinson et al., 2008).”
BackgroundSelf-citationAsztalos, M., Bourdeaudhuij, I. D., & Cardon, G. (2009) · Public Health Nutrition · doi:10.1017/s1368980009992825 · Cited by 160 · cited 1×
“Forexample, physical activity behaviors may also have mental health promoting effects (Asztalos et al., 2009).”
BackgroundSelf-citationGender and player characteristics in video game play of preadolescents
Homer, B. D., Hayward, E. O., Frye, J., & Plass, J. L. (2012) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2012.04.018 · Cited by 159
Crutzen, R., de Nooijer, J., Brouwer, W., Oenema, A., Brug, J., & de Vries, N. K. (2011) · Health Education & Behavior · doi:10.1177/1090198110372878 · Cited by 158 · cited 1×
“Furthermore, strategies recommended to overcome low reach and adoption of computer-tailored interventions, such as higher interactivity and visual attractiveness (Crutzen et al., 2008, 2011), are inherent in serious games.”
BackgroundAn introduction to game studies
Mäyrä, F. (2008) · Cited by 150
Player-Centred Game Design: Player Modelling and Adaptive Digital Games
Charles, D. K., McNeill, M., McAlister, M., et al. (2005) · Maynooth University ePrints and eTheses Archive (Maynooth University) · Cited by 148
A Scoping Review of Health Game Research: Past, Present, and Future
Kharrazi, H. H. K., Lu, A. S., Gharghabi, F., & Coleman, W. T. (2012) · Games for Health Journal · doi:10.1089/g4h.2012.0011 · Cited by 144 · cited 1×
“Healthy lifestyles comprise an array of potentially modi fi able behaviors that can prevent a wide range of diseases, such as some cancers, cardiovascular diseases, stroke, dementia, mental illness, and diabetes (Fratiglioni et al., 2004; Kim et al., 2012; Lopez et al., 2006; Peel et al., 2005).”
BackgroundDias, M. R. G., & Agante, L. (2011) · Journal of Consumer Behaviour · doi:10.1002/cb.359 · Cited by 138
Folkvord, F., Anschütz, D. J., Buijzen, M., & Valkenburg, P. M. (2012) · American Journal of Clinical Nutrition · doi:10.3945/ajcn.112.047126 · Cited by 128
(2007) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-0-387-72661-8_13 · Cited by 128
Moving Beyond the Stigma: Systematic Review of Video Games and Their Potential to Combat Obesity
Guy, S. D., Ratzki‐Leewing, A. A., & Gwadry-Sridhar, F. H. (2011) · International Journal of Hypertension · doi:10.4061/2011/179124 · Cited by 124 · cited 2×
“Reviews on healthy lifestyles mostly focused on a single health behavior (e.g. Guy et al, 2011, on obesity prevention) or focused on one specific age group (e.g. Guse et al, 2012, on sexual health among adolescents).”
BackgroundCampbell, M. K. (1999) · Health Education Research · doi:10.1093/her/14.2.257 · Cited by 124
If you build it, will they come?
Toobert, D. J., Strycker, L. A., Glasgow, R. E., & Bagdade, J. D. (2002) · Patient Education and Counseling · doi:10.1016/s0738-3991(02)00120-9 · Cited by 121 · cited 1×
“Healthy lifestyle adoption and maintenance, however, are often hindered by motivational issues, lack of time to participate in health promotion programs, and the interventions' low reach into the target group (Baert et al., 2011; McGuire et al., 2013; Toobert et al., 2002).”
BackgroundSpace Fortress game training and executive control in older adults: A pilot intervention
Stern, Y., Blumen, H. M., Rich, L. W., Richards, A., Herzberg, G., & Gopher, D. (2011) · Aging Neuropsychology and Cognition · doi:10.1080/13825585.2011.613450 · Cited by 121
Fit for Life Boy Scout badge: Outcome evaluation of a troop and Internet intervention
Jago, R., Baranowski, T., Baranowski, J. C., Thompson, D. I., Cullen, K. W., Watson, K., & Liu, Y. (2006) · Preventive Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2005.12.010 · Cited by 119
Self-citationHealthy gaming — video game design to promote health
Fernandez-Luque, L., Tøllefsen, T., & Brox, E. (2011) · Applied Clinical Informatics · doi:10.4338/aci-2010-10-r-0060 · Cited by 118 · cited 2×
“Differences in effect sizewere also not found formean age or gender, confirming earlier findings that serious games can work in various populations (Primack et al., 2012), when their preferences are taken into account (Brox et al., 2011).”
BackgroundResultEffective Intervention or Child's Play? A Review of Video Games for Diabetes Education
DeShazo, J. P., Harris, L. T., & Pratt, W. (2010) · Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics · doi:10.1089/dia.2010.0030 · Cited by 113 · cited 4×
“All reviews noted large differences between studies, and concluded that reasons for these differences are as yet unclear (Baranowski et al., 2008; DeShazo et al., 2010; Gamberini et al., 2008; Guse et al., 2012; Guy et al., 2011; Kato, 2010; Kharrazi et al., 2012; Lu et al., 2012; Papastergiou,…”
BackgroundResultInfluentialVirtual learning intervention to reduce bullying victimization in primary school: a controlled trial
Σαπουνά, Μ., Dieter Wolke, C., Vannini, N., Watson, S., Woods, S. N., Schneider, W., Enz, S., Hall, L. E., Paiva, A., André, E., et al. (2009) · Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry · doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2009.02137.x · Cited by 110
McPherson, A. C., Glazebrook, C., Forster, D., James, C., & Smyth, A. R. (2006) · PEDIATRICS · doi:10.1542/peds.2005-0666 · Cited by 103
Internet-delivered interventions aimed at adolescents: a Delphi study on dissemination and exposure
Crutzen, R., de Nooijer, J., Brouwer, W., Oenema, A., Brug, J., & de Vries, N. K. (2008) · Health Education Research · doi:10.1093/her/cym094 · Cited by 100 · cited 1×
“Furthermore, strategies recommended to overcome low reach and adoption of computer-tailored interventions, such as higher interactivity and visual attractiveness (Crutzen et al., 2008, 2011), are inherent in serious games.”
BackgroundPaperny, D. M. N., & Starn, J. R. (1989) · PEDIATRICS · doi:10.1542/peds.83.5.742 · Cited by 99
Computer game for inner-city children does not improve asthma outcomes
Huss, K., Winkelstein, M. L., Nanda, J. P., Naumann, P. L., Sloand, E., & HUSS, R. W. (2003) · Journal of Pediatric Health Care · doi:10.1067/mph.2003.28 · Cited by 95
Peng, W. (2008) · CyberPsychology & Behavior · doi:10.1089/cpb.2007.0229 · Cited by 92 · cited 1×
“Games are thought to provide a goodmedium for increasing self-efficacy as they offer the opportunity for enactive experience in a safe environment, without real-life consequences to making wrong decisions (Peng, 2008; Prensky, 2007).”
BackgroundFuchslocher, A., Niesenhaus, J., & Krämer, N. C. (2010) · Entertainment Computing · doi:10.1016/j.entcom.2010.12.001 · Cited by 91
Deep Learning and Emotion in Serious Games
Graesser, A. C., Chipman, P., & Leeming, F. C. (2009) · Routledge eBooks · doi:10.4324/9780203891650-16 · Cited by 87
Campbell, M. K., Carbone, E. T., Honess-Morreale, L., Heisler-MacKinnon, J., Demissie, S., & Farrell, D. W. (2004) · Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior · doi:10.1016/s1499-4046(06)60134-6 · Cited by 80
Shames, R. S., Sharek, P. J., Mayer, M. L., Robinson, T. N., Hoyte, E. G., Gonzalez-Hensley, F., Bergman, D. A., & Umetsu, D. T. (2004) · Annals of Allergy Asthma & Immunology · doi:10.1016/s1081-1206(10)61426-3 · Cited by 80
Evaluating efficacy and validating games for health
Kato, P. M. (2012) · Games for Health Journal · doi:10.1089/g4h.2012.1017 · Cited by 79 · cited 1×
“This finding supports hypotheses from previous articles suggesting that a good theoretical blending of the ‘fun’ and ‘educational’ element is critical in game effectiveness (Baranowski et al., 2011; DeShazo et al., 2010; Kato, 2012; Kharrazi et al., 2012; Papastergiou, 2009).”
ResultProkhorov, A. V., Kelder, S. H., Shegog, R., Murray, N., Peters, R. J., Agurcia, C. A., Cinciripini, P. M., de Moor, C., Conroy, J. L., Hudmon, K. S., et al. (2008) · Nicotine & Tobacco Research · doi:10.1080/14622200802323183 · Cited by 76
A game a day keeps the doctor away: a short review of computer games in mental healthcare.
Gamberini, L., Barresi, G., Maier, A., & Scarpetta, F. (2008) · Padua Research Archive (University of Padova) · Cited by 74
Videogames and Health Improvement: A Literature Review of Randomized Controlled Trials
Rahmani, E., & Boren, S. A. (2012) · Games for Health Journal · doi:10.1089/g4h.2012.0031 · Cited by 73 · cited 2×
“Theseincludedhealthgamesrelatingtodiverse behaviors and populations, including games for treatment, prevention, and professional education (Rahmani and Boren, 2012).”
BackgroundJin, S. A. (2010) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2009.12.003 · Cited by 70
Baranowski, T., Baranowski, J. C., Thompson, D. I., & Buday, R. (2011) · Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology · doi:10.1177/193229681100500204 · Cited by 68 · cited 1×
“This finding supports hypotheses from previous articles suggesting that a good theoretical blending of the ‘fun’ and ‘educational’ element is critical in game effectiveness (Baranowski et al., 2011; DeShazo et al., 2010; Kato, 2012; Kharrazi et al., 2012; Papastergiou, 2009).”
ResultSelf-citationComputer-Assisted HIV Prevention for Youth With Substance Use Disorders
Marsch, L. A., Grabinski, M. J., Bickel, W. K., Desrosiers, A., Guarino, H., Muehlbach, B., Solhkhah, R., Taufique, S. R., & Acosta, M. C. (2010) · Substance Use & Misuse · doi:10.3109/10826084.2011.521088 · Cited by 66
Evaluation of microcomputer nutritional teaching games in 1,876 children at school.
Turnin, M., Tauber, M., Couvaras, O., Jouret, B., Bolzonella-Pene, C., Bourgeois, O., Buisson, J., Fabre, D. S. M., Cance-Rouzaud, A., Tauber, J., et al. (2001) · PubMed · Cited by 65
An In‐School CD‐ROM Asthma Education Program
Yawn, B. P., Algatt-Bergstrom, P. J., Yawn, R. A., Wollan, P. C., Greco, M., Gleason, M., & Markson, L. E. (2000) · Journal of School Health · doi:10.1111/j.1746-1561.2000.tb06462.x · Cited by 65
Majumdar, D., Koch, P. A., Lee, H., Contento, I. R., Islas-Ramos, A. D. L., & Fu, D. (2013) · Games for Health Journal · doi:10.1089/g4h.2013.0045 · Cited by 64
Baños, R., Cebolla, A., Oliver, E., Alcañíz, M., & Botella, C. (2012) · Health Education Research · doi:10.1093/her/cys044 · Cited by 62
Squire's quest: intervention changes occurred at lunch and snack meals
Cullen, K. W., Watson, K., Baranowski, T., Baranowski, J. H., & Zakeri, I. (2005) · Appetite · doi:10.1016/j.appet.2005.04.001 · Cited by 61
Self-citationPreliminary efficacy of a computer-based HIV intervention for African-American women
Wingood, G. M., Card, J. J., Er, D. L., Solomon, J., Braxton, N. D., Lang, D. L., Seth, P., Cartreine, J., & DiClemente, R. J. (2011) · Psychology and Health · doi:10.1080/08870446.2011.531576 · Cited by 57
Effects of a Tailored Follow-Up Intervention on Health Behaviors, Beliefs, and Attitudes
Jacobs, A. D., Ammerman, A. S., Ennett, S. T., Campbell, M. K., Tawney, K. W., Aytur, S. A., Marshall, S. W., Will, J. C., & Rosamond, W. D. (2004) · Journal of Women's Health · doi:10.1089/1540999041281016 · Cited by 54 · cited 1×
“…techniques to deal with potential relapse, integrating Motivational Interviewing techniques and creating healthy-behavior-facilitating changes in the environment via multi-level programs (Jacobs et al., 2004; Lustria et al., 2009; Martins and McNeil, 2009; Norris et al., 2001; Orleans, 2000).”
MethodBoy Scout 5-a-Day Badge: Outcome results of a troop and Internet intervention
Thompson, D. I., Baranowski, T., Baranowski, J. C., Cullen, K. W., Jago, R., Watson, K., & Liu, Y. (2009) · Preventive Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2009.09.010 · Cited by 53
Self-citationConsoli, S. M., Said, M., Jean, J., et al. (1995) · Patient Education and Counseling · doi:10.1016/0738-3991(95)00747-n · Cited by 52
Evaluation of `Sun-safe': a health education resource for primary schools
Hewitt, M. (2001) · Health Education Research · doi:10.1093/her/16.5.623 · Cited by 50
Schwarzer, R. (1998) · Psychology and Health · doi:10.1080/08870449808407430 · Cited by 49 · cited 1×
“This may have been corrected when more information and experience became available (Schwarzer, 1998).”
BackgroundThompson, D. I., Bhatt, R., Lazarus, M. M., Cullen, K. W., Baranowski, J. C., & Baranowski, T. (2012) · JMIR Research Protocols · doi:10.2196/resprot.2348 · Cited by 48 · cited 1×
“Healthy lifestyle adoption and maintenance, however, are often hindered by motivational issues, lack of time to participate in health promotion programs, and the interventions' low reach into the target group (Baert et al., 2011; McGuire et al., 2013; Toobert et al., 2002).”
BackgroundSelf-citationPortnoy, D. B., Scott‐Sheldon, L. A. J., Johnson, B. T., & Carey, M. P. (2007) · OpenCommons - UConn (University of Connecticut) · Cited by 46
Jantz, C., Anderson, J., & Gould, S. M. (2002) · Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior · doi:10.1016/s1499-4046(06)60103-6 · Cited by 40
Johnston, J. D., Massey, A. P., & Marker-Hoffman, R. L. (2012) · Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology · doi:10.1177/193229681200600414 · Cited by 39
Trepka, M. J., Newman, F. L., Davila, E. P., Matthew, K., Dixon, Z., & Huffman, F. G. (2008) · Journal of the American Dietetic Association · doi:10.1016/j.jada.2008.03.011 · Cited by 33
McGuire, A., Anderson, D. J., & Fulbrook, P. (2013) · Collegian Journal of the Royal College of Nursing Australia · doi:10.1016/j.colegn.2013.07.001 · Cited by 30
On Effective Integration of Educational Content in Serious Games: Text vs. Game Mechanics
Molnar, A., & Kostkova, P. (2013) · IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies (ICALT) · doi:10.1109/icalt.2013.94 · Cited by 30
Midlife Women Online: Evaluation of an Internet-Based Program to Prevent Unintended Pregnancy & STIs
Swartz, L. H. G., Sherman, C. A., Harvey, S. M., Blanchard, J., Vawter, F., & Gau, J. M. (2011) · Journal of Women & Aging · doi:10.1080/08952841.2011.613255 · Cited by 27
Panic, K., Cauberghe, V., & Pelsmacker, P. D. (2014) · Journal of health communication · doi:10.1080/10810730.2013.821551 · Cited by 23
Randomized Trial Evaluating Computer-Based Sun Safety Education for Children in Elementary School
Buller, M. K., Kane, I. L., Martin, R., Giese, A. J., Cutter, G., Saba, L. M., & Buller, D. B. (2008) · Journal of Cancer Education · doi:10.1080/08858190701818267 · Cited by 14
Using a Computer Game to Teach Young Children About Their Brains
Schotland, M., & Littman, K. G. (2012) · Games for Health Journal · doi:10.1089/g4h.2012.0039 · Cited by 12
Evaluation of a Web-Based Malaria Risk Reduction Game for Study Abroad Students
Hartjes, L. B., & Baumann, L. C. (2012) · Journal of American College Health · doi:10.1080/07448481.2012.667464 · Cited by 11
Serious Game for Relationships and Sex Education
Brown, K., Bayley, J. E., & Newby, K. V. (2012) · Advances in healthcare information systems and administration book series · doi:10.4018/978-1-4666-1903-6.ch007 · Cited by 11
Grechus, M., & Brown, J. (2000) · Health Education · doi:10.1080/10556699.2000.10604670 · Cited by 10
Brown, K., Arnab, S., Bayley, J. E., et al. (2012) · Studies in health technology and informatics · doi:10.3233/978-1-61499-121-2-165 · Cited by 9
Evaluation of a Computer-Based Game About the Glycemic Index Among College-Aged Students
Miller, C. K., & Lindberg, D. V. (2007) · Topics in Clinical Nutrition · doi:10.1097/01.tin.0000285383.69830.ce · Cited by 4
Promoting Physical Activity Through an Active Video Game Among Young Adults
Peng, W., Pfeiffer, K. A., Winn, B. M., et al. (2013) · Cited by 3
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Krath, J., Schürmann, L., & von Korflesch, H. F. O. (2021) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2021.106963 · Cited by 1,324
Virtual reality exposure therapy for social anxiety disorder: A randomized controlled trial.
Anderson, P. L., Price, M., Edwards, S. M., Obasaju, M. A., Schmertz, S. K., Zimand, E., & Calamaras, M. R. (2013) · Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0033559 · Cited by 371
Games for Health for Children—Current Status and Needed Research
Baranowski, T., Blumberg, F. C., Buday, R., DeSmet, A., Fiellin, L. E., Green, C. S., Kato, P. M., Lu, A. S., Maloney, A. E., Mellecker, R. R., et al. (2015) · Games for Health Journal · doi:10.1089/g4h.2015.0026 · Cited by 260
“A recent meta-analysis of 64 games promoting healthy lifestyles revealed games had statistically significant effects on behaviors, stronger effects on behavior determinants, and even effects on health outcomes, although these effects were weaker.(33) A systematic review of 11 videogames for diabetes education revealed…”
Self-citationSuccess factors for serious games to enhance learning: a systematic review
Ravyse, W. S., Blignaut, A. S., Leendertz, V., & Woolner, A. (2016) · Virtual Reality · doi:10.1007/s10055-016-0298-4 · Cited by 234
Metadata
- Authors
- DeSmet, A., Van Ryckeghem, D., Compernolle, S., Baranowski, T., Thompson, D., Crombez, G., Poels, K., Van Lippevelde, W., Bastiaensens, S., Van Cleemput, K., Vandebosch, H., & De Bourdeaudhuij, I.
- Affiliations
- Ghent University (BE)
- Baylor College of Medicine (US)
- University of Antwerp (BE)
- Corresponding author
- DeSmet, Ann
- ORCID
- Venue
- Preventive Medicine
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2014-12
- Volume
- 69
- Pages
- 95-107
- ISSN
- 0091-7435 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC4403732
- OpenAlex
- W2093118219
- Semantic Scholar
- 228e274dce3a3661790bf4291e9d5fe1681c2aca
- Cited by
- 414
- References
- 143
- Citations by year
- 2026: 20 · 2025: 26 · 2024: 50 · 2023: 34 · 2022: 31 · 2021: 51 · 2020: 38 · 2019: 30 · 2018: 50 · 2017: 28 · 2016: 33 · 2015: 16 · 2014: 5
- FWCI
- 5.28
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Preventive Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Research Publications (Maastricht University) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Ghent University Academic Bibliography (Ghent University) (submittedVersion)
- Dépôt institutionnel de l'Université libre de Bruxelles (Université Libre de Bruxelles) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Open Repository and Bibliography (University of Luxembourg) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
- Research Publications (Maastricht University) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Danish Agency for Science and Higher Education
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Educational Games and Gamification
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Mobile Health and mHealth Applications
- Social Sciences › Communication › Media Influence and Health
- Keywords
- serious games, video games, healthy lifestyle promotion, health behavior change, game theory, knowledge outcomes, long-term effects, sociodemographic moderators, multicomponent intervention, game features
- MeSH terms
- Female, Health Promotion, Humans, Life Style, Male, Recreation, Health Behavior, Video Games
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
A language model drew the claims from the paper on 2026-10-08, under version 3 of the claim definition (model deepseek-v4.1-flash, prompt extract-v3).
A second model labelled each claim on 2026-10-08 (model jev-1.13-20260917, definition revision gold-guideline-v0.2).
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
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