CoChat
Sign Up
Cited by 14Educational Games and GamificationNutrition, Health and Food BehaviorScience and Education Research

Investigating the Effectiveness of an Educational Escape Game for Increasing Nutrition-Related Knowledge in Young Adolescents: A Pilot Study

Open access
Abdollahi, Anna M., Masento, Natalie A., Vepsäläinen, Henna, Mijal, Michal, Gromadzka, Monika, Fogelholm, Mikael·2021·Frontiers in Nutrition
DOI 10.3389/fnut.2021.674404PMC PMC8193978
Open this paper in CoChat — free accountOpen PDF

Abstract

Objective: As a pilot trial under the Games of Food consortium, this study assessed the effectiveness of an educational escape game alongside a self-study method as a nutrition knowledge intervention. Furthermore, this study explored the use of an escape game as an educational tool for young adolescents. Materials and Methods: Altogether three schools participated, one from Finland and two from the UK. Baseline questionnaires assessing knowledge were administered before intervention day. Participants from each class were randomly allocated by the researchers into either the escape game condition, where participants played a nutrition education escape game with a focus on plant-based protein sources, or the self-study condition, where participants received an educational leaflet with identical content. In addition to the knowledge post-assessment, the educational escape game condition answered an enjoyment and intrinsic motivation questionnaire to evaluate the game experience. Paired t-tests were used to determine significant changes within intervention conditions and ANCOVA was used to estimate the differences in knowledge. Results: The participants were 130 children (11–14 years), divided into educational escape game (n = 68) and self-study (n = 62) conditions. Both the educational escape game (20.7 vs. 23, p < 0.001) and self-study (21.1 vs. 23.1, p = 0.002) had improved overall knowledge scores. No significant differences in gained knowledge existed between groups. Of the educational escape game participants, 60% reported the game as mostly enjoyable and 46% reported added use and value for learning. Conclusion: The educational escape game condition was comparable to the self-study method for nutrition education in adolescents. However, since the educational escape game provides an enjoyable experience that may enhance intrinsic motivation to promote learning and possible behavior change, the use of escape games for nutrition education warrant further investigation.

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.3389/fnut.2021.674404

Cites

4 of 4 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Claims the paper makes

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

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?

  • Educational escape activities (EEAs) have shown great value in terms of engagement, motivation, and learner outcomes.

    “EEAs are reported to be positively perceived among students 6,9,11,13,14 and have shown great value in terms of engagement, 6,11 -14 motivation, 6,7,12,14 and learner outcomes. 7,8,10”

    From Fostering Motivation toward Chemistry through Augmented Reality Educational Escape Activities. A Self-Determination Theory Approach (2022) · cites this paper as [10]

    The Results report improved nutrition-knowledge scores among 11–14-year-olds who played the escape game, and participants rated its enjoyment and perceived value positively. But knowledge gains were no greater than with self-study, and the Discussion describes enhanced intrinsic motivation as a possibility rather than a demonstrated effect. The claim’s broad assertion of “great value” for motivation and learner outcomes overstates this pilot study. (LLM, conf=0.84)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

The self-check needs the paper’s full text.

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Research works printed but not linked: 37

  1. [2]Diethelm K Jankovic N Moreno LA Huybrechts I Henauw SD Vriendt TD. Food intake of European adolescents in the light of different food-based dietary guidelines: results of the HELENA (Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence) Study. Public Health Nutr. (2012) 15: 386– 98. 10.1017/S1368980011001935 21936969 · DOI
  2. [3]Rosi A Paolella G Biasini B Scazzina F. Dietary habits of adolescents living in North America, Europe or Oceania: a review on fruit, vegetable and legume consumption, sodium intake, and adherence to the Mediterranean Diet. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. (2019) 29: 544– 60. 10.1016/j.numecd.2019.03.003 31078365 · DOI
  3. [4]Williams J Buoncristiano M Nardone P Rito AI Spinelli A Hejgaard T. A snapshot of European children's eating habits: results from the fourth round of the WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI). Nutrients. (2020) 12: 2481. 10.3390/nu12082481 32824588 PMC7468747 · DOI
  4. [6]Mikkilä V Räsänen L Raitakari OT Pietinen P Viikari J. Consistent dietary patterns identified from childhood to adulthood: the cardiovascular risk in Young Finns Study. Br J Nutr. (2005) 93: 923– 31. 10.1079/BJN20051418 16022763 · DOI
  5. [7]Lioret S Campbell KJ McNaughton SA Cameron AJ Salmon J Abbot G. Lifestyle patterns begin in early childhood, persist and are socioeconomically patterned, confirming the importance of early life interventions. Nutrients. (2020) 12: 724. 10.3390/nu12030724 32182889 PMC7146362 · DOI
  6. [9]Wardle J Parmenter K Waller J. Nutrition knowledge and food intake. Appetite. (2000) 34: 269– 75. 10.1006/appe.1999.0311 10888290 · DOI
  7. [10]Dickson-Spillmann M Siegrist M. Consumers' knowledge of healthy diets and its correlation with dietary behaviour. J Hum Nutr Diet. (2011) 24: 54– 60. 10.1111/j.1365-277X.2010.01124.x 20880377 · DOI
  8. [11]Spronk I Kullen C Burdon C O'Connor H. Relationship between nutrition knowledge and dietary intake. Br J Nutr. (2014) 111: 1713– 26. 10.1017/S0007114514000087 24621991 · DOI
  9. [12]Vaitkeviciute R Ball LE Harris N. The relationship between food literacy and dietary intake in adolescents: a systematic review. Public Health Nutr. (2015) 18: 649– 58. 10.1017/S1368980014000962 24844778 PMC10271388 · DOI
  10. [13]Bailey CJ Drummond MJ Ward PR. Food literacy programmes in secondary schools: a systematic literature review and narrative synthesis of quantitative and qualitative evidence. Public Health Nutr. (2019) 22: 2891– 913. 10.1017/S1368980019001666 31290384 PMC10260549 · DOI · Paper page
  11. [14]Rosi A Ferraris C Guglielmetti M Meroni E Charron M Menta R. Validation of a general and sports nutrition knowledge questionnaire in Italian early adolescents. Nutrients. (2020) 12: 3121. 10.3390/nu12103121 33066020 PMC7600562 · DOI
  12. [15]Gauthier A Kato PM Bul KCM Dunwell I Walker-Clarke A Lameras P. Board games for health: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis. Games Health J. (2019) 8: 85– 100. 10.1089/g4h.2018.0017 30256159 · DOI
  13. [16]Chow CY Riantiningtyas RR Kanstrup MB Papavasileiou M Liem GD Olsen A. Can game change children's eating behavior? A review of gamification and serious games. Food Qual Prefer. (2020) 80: 103823. 10.1016/j.foodqual.2019.103823 · DOI
  14. [18]Baranowski T Ryan C Hoyos-Cespedes A Lu AS. Nutrition education and dietary behavior change games: a scoping review. Games Health J. (2019) 8: 153– 76. 10.1089/g4h.2018.0070 30339086 PMC6909754 · DOI
  15. [19]Baños RM Cebolla A Oliver E Alcañiz M Botella C. Efficacy and acceptability of an internet platform to improve the learning of nutritional knowledge in children: the ETIOBE Mates. Health Educ Res. (2013) 28: 234– 48. 10.1093/her/cys044 22498924 · DOI
  16. [20]Holzmann SL Schäfer H Groh G Plecher DA Klinker G Schauberger G. Short-term effects of the serious game “Fit, Food, Fun” on nutritional knowledge: a pilot study among children and adolescents. Nutrients. (2019) 11: 2031. 10.3390/nu11092031 31480257 PMC6770093 · DOI
  17. [21]Viggiano A Viggiano E Di Costanzo A Viggiano A Andreozzi E Romano V. Kaledo, a board game for nutrition education of children and adolescents at school: cluster randomized controlled trial of healthy lifestyle promotion. Eur J Pediatr. (2015) 174: 217– 28. 10.1007/s00431-014-2381-8 25048788 · DOI
  18. [23]Uzsen H Basbakkal ZD. A game-based nutrition education: teaching healthy eating to primary school students. J Pediatr Res. (2019) 6: 18– 23. 10.4274/jpr.galenos.2018.15010 · DOI
  19. [24]Thompson D. Designing serious video games for health behavior change: current status and future directions. J Diabetes Sci Technol. (2012) 6: 807– 11. 10.1177/193229681200600411 22920806 PMC3440151 · DOI
  20. [25]Eukel HN Frenzel JE Cernusca D. Educational Gaming for pharmacy students - design and evaluation of a diabetes-themed escape room. Am J Pharm Educ. (2017) 81: 6265. 10.5688/ajpe8176265 29109566 PMC5663657 · DOI
  21. [26]Yachin T Barak M. Promoting healthy nutrition through educational escape games. In: Proceedings of the Informing Science and Information Technology Education Conference. Jerusalem (2019). p. 217– 26.
  22. [27]Kubin L. Using an escape activity in the classroom to enhance nursing student learning. Clin Simul Nurs. (2020) 47: 52– 6. 10.1016/j.ecns.2020.07.007 · DOI
  23. [28]Clauson A Hahn L Frame T Hagan A Bynum LA Thompson ME. Innovative escape room activity to assess student readiness for advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs). Curr Pharm Teach Learn. (2019) 11: 723– 8. 10.1016/j.cptl.2019.03.011 31227096 · DOI
  24. [29]Gómez-Urquiza JL Gómez-Salgado J Albendín-García L Correa-Rodríguez M González-Jiménez E Cañadas-De la Fuente GA. The impact on nursing students' opinions and motivation of using a “Nursing Escape Room” as a teaching game: a descriptive study. Nurse Educ Today. (2019) 72: 73– 6. 10.1016/j.nedt.2018.10.018 30453202 · DOI
  25. [30]Kliemann N Wardle J Johnson F Croker H. Reliability and validity of a revised version of the General Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire. Eur J Clin Nutr. (2016) 70: 1174– 80. 10.1038/ejcn.2016.87 27245211 PMC5014128 · DOI
  26. [31]Heikkilä M Valve R Lehtovirta M Fogelholm M. Development of a nutrition knowledge questionnaire for young endurance athletes and their coaches. Scand J Med Sci Sports. (2018) 28: 873– 80. 10.1111/sms.12987 28975667 · DOI
  27. [32]Ryan RM. Control and information in the intrapersonal sphere: an extension of cognitive evaluation theory. J Pers Soc Psychol. (1982) 43: 450– 61. 10.1037/0022-3514.43.3.450 · DOI · Paper page
  28. [33]Monaghan SR Nicholson S. Bringing escape room concepts to pathophysiology case studies. HAPS Educator. (2017) 21: 49– 65. 10.21692/haps.2017.015 · DOI
  29. [34]Adams V Burger S Crawford K Setter R. Can you escape? Creating an escape room to facilitate active learning. J Nurses Prof Dev. (2018) 34: 2. 10.1097/NND.0000000000000433 29481471 · DOI
  30. [35]Hermanns M Deal B Campbell AM Hillhouse S Opella JB Faigle C. Using an “Escape Room” toolbox approach to enhance pharmacology education. J Nurs Educ Prac. (2017) 8: 89– 95. 10.5430/jnep.v8n4p89 · DOI
  31. [36]Kinio AE Dufresne L Brandys T Jetty P. Break out of the classroom: the use of escape rooms as an alternative teaching strategy in surgical education. J Surg Educ. (2019) 76: 134– 9. 10.1016/j.jsurg.2018.06.030 30126728 · DOI
  32. [37]Brown N Darby W Coronel H. An escape room as a simulation teaching strategy. Clin Simul Nurs. (2019) 30: 1– 6. 10.1016/j.ecns.2019.02.002 · DOI
  33. [38]Cain J. Exploratory implementation of a blended format escape room in a large enrollment pharmacy management class. Curr Pharm Teach Learn. (2019) 11: 44– 50. 10.1016/j.cptl.2018.09.010 30527875 · DOI · Paper page
  34. [39]Michel N Cater JJ III Varela O. Active versus passive teaching styles: an empirical study of student learning outcomes. Hum Resour Dev Q. (2009) 20: 397- 418. 10.1002/hrdq.20025 · DOI
  35. [40]Stok FM de Ridder DTD de Vet E Nureeva L Luszczynska A Wardle J. Hungry for an intervention? Adolescents' ratings of acceptability of eating-related intervention strategies. BMC Public Health. (2015) 16: 5. 10.1186/s12889-015-2665-6 26729328 PMC4700578 · DOI
  36. [41]Bryan CJ Yeager DS Hinojosa CP Chabot A Bergen H Kawamura M. Harnessing adolescent values to motivate healthier eating. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. (2016) 113: 10830– 5. 10.1073/pnas.1604586113 27621440 PMC5047199 · DOI
  37. [42]Munt AE Partridge SR Allman-Farinelli M. The barriers and enablers of healthy eating among young adults: a missing piece of the obesity puzzle: a scoping review. Obes Rev. (2017) 18: 1– 17. 10.1111/obr.12472 27764897 · DOI

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Abdollahi, A. M., Masento, N. A., Vepsäläinen, H., Mijal, M., Gromadzka, M., & Fogelholm, M.
Affiliations
  • University of Helsinki (FI)
  • University of Reading (GB)
  • University of Warsaw (PL)
Corresponding author
Abdollahi, Anna M.
ORCID
Venue
Frontiers in Nutrition
Publisher
Frontiers Media SA
Published
2021-05-28
Volume
8
Pages
674404-674404
ISSN
2296-861X (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3389/fnut.2021.674404
PMC
PMC8193978
OpenAlex
W3170487931
Cited by
14
References
4
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 2
FWCI
2.95
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Frontiers in Nutrition (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Työväentutkimus Vuosikirja (submittedVersion)
Funders
EIT Food (19040)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Educational Games and Gamification
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Nutrition, Health and Food Behavior
  • Social Sciences › Education › Science and Education Research
Keywords
nutrition education, nutrition knowledge, early adolescents, plant proteins, game-based learning, intrinsic motivation, enjoyment, school-based intervention

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.

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 ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review