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Journal ArticleDOI

It's Time to Eat! Using Mobile Games to Promote Healthy Eating

01 Jul 2010-IEEE Pervasive Computing (IEEE)-Vol. 9, Iss: 3, pp 21-27
TL;DR: Time to Eat, a mobile-phone-based game, motivates children to practice healthy eating habits by letting them care for a virtual pet whose healthiness determines the game's outcome.
Abstract: It's never been more important to teach youth the importance of healthy eating habits. Time to Eat, a mobile-phone-based game, motivates children to practice healthy eating habits by letting them care for a virtual pet. Players send the pet photos of the food they consume throughout the day; the food's healthiness determines the game's outcome. An examination of the game's design provides insight into the potential of deploying health games on mobile phones.
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper provides an empirical review of 16 years (85 papers) of literature on persuasive technology for health and wellness to answer important questions regarding the effectiveness and uncover pitfalls of existing persuasive technological interventions forhealth and wellness.
Abstract: The evolving field of persuasive and behavior change technology is increasingly targeted at influencing behavior in the area of health and wellness. This paper provides an empirical review of 16 years (85 papers) of literature on persuasive technology for health and wellness to: (1.) answer important questions regarding the effectiveness of persuasive technology for health and wellness, (2.) summarize and highlight trends in the technology design, research methods, motivational strategies, theories, and health behaviors targeted by research to date, (3.) uncover pitfalls of existing persuasive technological interventions for health and wellness, and (4.) suggest directions for future research.

295 citations


Cites background from "It's Time to Eat! Using Mobile Game..."

  • ...Behavioral/Psychological Outcomes Study % of 85 Behavior [4], [6], [7], [11], [12], [15], [17], [21]–[25], [27], [28], [32], [33], [35], [38], [41], [46], [48], [56], [58], [60], [62], [63], [65]–[67], [70]–[76], [79], [81], [83], [86], [88] 44% Attitude [5], [9], [10], [13], [17], [26], [30], [59], [65], [68], [76], [78], [84] 17% Motivation [6], [31], [37]–[40], [54], [57], [61], [64], [78] 17% Awareness [16], [43], [47], [50]–[52], [77], [84] 15% Self-efficacy [13], [17], [29], [30], [64], [69], [77], [84] 13% Adherence and Compliance [36], [34], [42], [49], [53], [55] 10% Habit [7], [8], [48] 5% Knowledge [8], [14], [80] 5% Intention [17], [69] 4% Engagement and Acceptance [32], [45] 4% Belief and Perception [10], [44], [89] 4% Others [10], [31], [82], [85] 7%...

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  • ...Motivational strategies/ affordances Studies with positive result Studies with partially positive result Studies with negative result or others Total Tracking and monitoring [4], [6], [8], [14], [21], [22], [27], [29], [33]–[38], [46]–[50], [55], [56], [58], [60], [62], [67], [70], [89] [10], [73], [75], [79] [15], [85], [86] 34 Audio, Visual and Textual Feedback [4], [6], [7], [9], [14], [16], [27], [29], [30], [37], [43], [46], [48], [50], [65]–[67], [69] [11], [71], [72] [15], [83]–[85], [87], [88] 28 Social support, sharing, and comparison [22], [24], [25], [27], [30], [41], [32], [35], [44], [45], [46], [48], [53], [65], [66], [4], [21] [75] [84], [88] 23 Persuasive messages, reminder, and alert [22], [30], [34], [35], [37], [42], [49], [53], [55], [58], [60], [63] [72]–[75], [77] [86], [87] 19 Reward, points, credits [6]–[9], [17], [25], [27], [30], [34], [38], [39], [47], [59], [61], [69] [76] [15], [86] 17 Goal and Objectives [4], [6], [9], [22], [25], [46], [47], [57] [75], [77], [79] [86] 13 Competition, leaderboards, ranking [4], [17], [22], [34], [39], [41], [47], [52], [56], [62] [88] 11 Tailoring, Personalization and customization [12], [17], [38], [40], [68], [70] [72] [86] 8 Praise [14], [22], [24], [40] [78] [83], [86] 7 Cooperation and Collaboration [4], [32], [47], [52] [81] 5 Virtual rehearsal and Simulation [12], [24], [63], [69] 4 Emoticons and persuasive images [15], [26], [33] 3 Progress [4], [6] [87] 3 Positive Reinforcement [6], [15] [78] [87] 3 Negative Reinforcement [8] [78] [87] 3 Suggestions and advice [5], [14] [72] 3 Video-based persuasion [23] 1 Not Specified [13], [28], [31], [51], [54], [64] [80], [82] 8...

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  • ...Theories Study Total Transtheoretical Model [4], [6], [8], [9], [11], [25], [27], [30], [33], [57], [64], [72], [89] 13 Goal Setting Theory [15], [23], [75], [77], [79] 5 Social Conformity Theory [35], [57], [69] 3 Theory of Reasoned Action [21], [69] 2 Self Determination Theory [29], [54] 2 Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology [26], [80] 2 Reinforcement Theory [15], [38] 2 Social Cognitive Theory [23] 1 Ego Depletion theory [31] 1 Premack’s principle [38] 1 Parallel Process Model [13] 1 Theory of Meaning Behavior [54] 1 Sexual Health Model [12] 1 Social Learning Theory [78] 1 Health Belief Model [69] 1 Theory of Planned Behavior [44] 1 Big Five Personality Theory [80] 1 Knowledge, Attitude, Behavior Model [9] 1 Cognitive Behavior Therapy [57] 1 Technology Acceptance Model [30] 1 Not specified [5], [7], [10], [16], [17], [22], [24], [28], [32], [34], [36], [37], [39]–[43], [45]–[53], [55], [56], [58]–[63], [65]–[68], [70], [71], [73], [74], [76], [81]–[88] 51...

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  • ...Method Studies with positive outcome Studies with partially positive outcome Studies with negative/other outcome % of all Quantitative [5], [12], [13], [15], [21], [22], [24], [28], [29], [35], [41], [42], [44], [45], [48], [49], [51], [52], [54], [59], [64], [65], [67], [69], [70], [89] [10], [74], [78], [80], [82] [87] 39% Qualitative [7], [14], [33], [38]–[40], [43], [44], [46], [47] [76] [85], [86] 15% Mixed Method [4], [6], [8], [9], [16], [17], [23], [25]– [27], [30]–[32], [36], [37], [40], [43], [55], [57], [58], [60], [62], [63], [66], [68] [10], [24], [28], [31], [71], [75], [76] [15], [83], [84], [88] 46%...

    [...]

  • ...Behavior [4], [6], [7], [11], [12], [15], [17], [21]–[25], [27], [28], [32], [33], [35], [38], [41], [46], [48], [56], [58], [60], [62], [63], [65]–[67], [70]–[76], [79], [81], [83], [86], [88] 44% Attitude [5], [9], [10], [13], [17], [26], [30], [59], [65], [68], [76], [78], [84] 17% Motivation [6], [31], [37]–[40], [54], [57], [61], [64], [78] 17% Awareness [16], [43], [47], [50]–[52], [77], [84] 15% Self-efficacy [13], [17], [29], [30], [64], [69], [77], [84] 13% Adherence and Compliance [36], [34], [42], [49], [53], [55] 10% Habit [7], [8], [48] 5% Knowledge [8], [14], [80] 5% Intention [17], [69] 4% Engagement and Acceptance [32], [45] 4% Belief and Perception [10], [44], [89] 4% Others [10], [31], [82], [85] 7% Study participants and sample size....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A large-scale study on 1,108 gamers is conducted to examine the persuasiveness of ten PT strategies that are commonly employed in persuasive game design, and the receptiveness of seven gamer personalities to theTen PT strategies are examined.
Abstract: Persuasive games for health are designed to alter human behavior or attitude using various Persuasive Technology (PT) strategies. Recent years have witnessed an increasing number of such games, which treat players as a monolithic group by adopting a one-size-fits-all design approach. Studies of gameplay motivation have shown that this is a bad approach because a motivational approach that works for one individual may actually demotivate behavior in others. In an attempt to resolve this weakness, we conducted a large-scale study on 1,108 gamers to examine the persuasiveness of ten PT strategies that are commonly employed in persuasive game design, and the receptiveness of seven gamer personalities (gamer types identified by BrianHex) to the ten PT strategies. We developed models showing the receptiveness of the gamer types to the PT strategies and created persuasive profiles, which are lists of strategies that can be employed to motivate behavior for each gamer type. We then explored the differences between the models and, based on the results, proposed two approaches for data-driven persuasive game design. The first is the one-size-fits-all approach that will motivate a majority of gamers, while not demotivating any player. The second is the personalized approach that will best persuade a particular type of gamer. We also compiled a list of the best and the worst strategies for each gamer type. Finally, to bridge the gap between game design and PT researchers, we map common game mechanics to the persuasive system design strategies.

246 citations


Cites background from "It's Time to Eat! Using Mobile Game..."

  • ...Having a p value of 0.001 is good enough that even if we added the 27 responses discarded, the Chi-squared result would still be significant (at 0.05 in the worst case scenario)....

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Proceedings ArticleDOI
27 Apr 2013
TL;DR: The paper discusses three HCI questions related to the design ofpersonal health technologies; how to design for disease awareness and self-treatment, how to ensure adherence to personal health technologies, and the roles of different types of technology platforms.
Abstract: An increasing number of pervasive healthcare systems are being designed, that allow people to monitor and get feedback on their health and wellness. To address the challenges of self-management of mental illnesses, we have developed the MONARCA system - a personal monitoring system for bipolar patients. We conducted a 14 week field trial in which 12 patients used the system, and we report findings focusing on their experiences. The results were positive; compared to using paper-based forms, the adherence to self-assessment improved; the system was considered very easy to use; and the perceived usefulness of the system was high. Based on this study, the paper discusses three HCI questions related to the design of personal health technologies; how to design for disease awareness and self-treatment, how to ensure adherence to personal health technologies, and the roles of different types of technology platforms.

242 citations


Cites background from "It's Time to Eat! Using Mobile Game..."

  • ...The first set of systems can be labeled ‘wellness’ applications, which seek to ‘persuade’ users to make healthy behavior change such as increased physical activity [20, 7], healthy eating habits [26], or better sleep [3]....

    [...]

  • ...For example, Fish’n Steps [20] and UbiFit Garden [7] seek to encourage physical activity; the Time to Eat! iPhone application is a persuasive game encouraging healthy eating habits [26]....

    [...]

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper provides a review on the activity recognition systems that use integrated sensors in the mobile phone with a special focus on the systems that target personal health and well-being applications.
Abstract: The release of smart phones equipped with a rich set of sensors has enabled human activity recognition on mobile platforms. Monitoring the daily activities and their levels helps in recognizing the health and wellness of the users as a practical application. Mobile phone’s ubiquity, unobtrusiveness, ease of use, communication channels, and playfulness make mobile phones a suitable platform also for inducing behavior change for a healthier and more active lifestyle. In this paper, we provide a review on the activity recognition systems that use integrated sensors in the mobile phone with a special focus on the systems that target personal health and well-being applications. Initially, we provide background information about the activity recognition process, such as the sensors used, activities targeted, and the steps of activity recognition using machine learning algorithms, before listing the challenges of activity recognition on mobile phones. Next, we focus on the classification of existing work on the topic together with a detailed taxonomy. Finally, we investigate the directions for future research.

238 citations


Cites background from "It's Time to Eat! Using Mobile Game..."

  • ...Virtual companions [8], games [62], social networks [79] can be used as the means to interact with the users in mobile applications in order to persuade them for changing their sedentary or unhealthy habits and even lifestyle for healthier behavior [20]....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The requirements and research directions required to take full advantage of Vis and VA in a personal context are investigated and a taxonomy of design dimensions is developed to provide a coherent vocabulary for discussing personal visualization and personal visual analytics.
Abstract: Data surrounds each and every one of us in our daily lives, ranging from exercise logs, to archives of our interactions with others on social media, to online resources pertaining to our hobbies. There is enormous potential for us to use these data to understand ourselves better and make positive changes in our lives. Visualization (Vis) and visual analytics (VA) offer substantial opportunities to help individuals gain insights about themselves, their communities and their interests; however, designing tools to support data analysis in non-professional life brings a unique set of research and design challenges. We investigate the requirements and research directions required to take full advantage of Vis and VA in a personal context. We develop a taxonomy of design dimensions to provide a coherent vocabulary for discussing personal visualization and personal visual analytics. By identifying and exploring clusters in the design space, we discuss challenges and share perspectives on future research. This work brings together research that was previously scattered across disciplines. Our goal is to call research attention to this space and engage researchers to explore the enabling techniques and technology that will support people to better understand data relevant to their personal lives, interests, and needs.

234 citations

References
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Book
30 Dec 2002
TL;DR: Mother Nature knows best--How engineered organizations of the future will resemble natural-born systems.
Abstract: Mother Nature knows best--How engineered organizations of the future will resemble natural-born systems.

3,754 citations

Proceedings ArticleDOI
25 Apr 2004
TL;DR: A new interactive system: a game that is fun and can be used to create valuable output that addresses the image-labeling problem and encourages people to do the work by taking advantage of their desire to be entertained.
Abstract: We introduce a new interactive system: a game that is fun and can be used to create valuable output. When people play the game they help determine the contents of images by providing meaningful labels for them. If the game is played as much as popular online games, we estimate that most images on the Web can be labeled in a few months. Having proper labels associated with each image on the Web would allow for more accurate image search, improve the accessibility of sites (by providing descriptions of images to visually impaired individuals), and help users block inappropriate images. Our system makes a significant contribution because of its valuable output and because of the way it addresses the image-labeling problem. Rather than using computer vision techniques, which don't work well enough, we encourage people to do the work by taking advantage of their desire to be entertained.

2,365 citations

Book
01 Jan 2003
TL;DR: Fogg has coined the phrase Captology (an acronym for computers as persuasive technologies) to capture the domain of research, design, and applications of persuasive computers as mentioned in this paper, and has revealed how Web sites, software applications, and mobile devices can be used to change people's attitudes and behavior.
Abstract: Can computers change what you think and do? Can they motivate you to stop smoking, persuade you to buy insurance, or convince you to join the Army? Yes, they can, says Dr. B.J. Fogg, director of the Persuasive Technology Lab at Stanford University. Fogg has coined the phrase Captology (an acronym for computers as persuasive technologies) to capture the domain of research, design, and applications of persuasive computers.In this thought-provoking book, based on nine years of research in captology, Dr. Fogg reveals how Web sites, software applications, and mobile devices can be used to change people's attitudes and behavior. Technology designers, marketers, researchers, consumers anyone who wants to leverage or simply understand the persuasive power of interactive technology will appreciate the compelling insights and illuminating examples found inside. Persuasive technology can be controversial and it should be. Who will wield this power of digital influence? And to what end? Now is the time to survey the issues and explore the principles of persuasive technology, and B.J. Fogg has written this book to be your guide. * Filled with key term definitions in persuasive computing *Provides frameworks for understanding this domain *Describes real examples of persuasive technologies

2,307 citations

Book ChapterDOI
17 Sep 2006
TL;DR: A social computer game, Fish'n'Steps, which links a player's daily foot step count to the growth and activity of an animated virtual character, a fish in a fish tank, to promote an increase in physical activity.
Abstract: A sedentary lifestyle is a contributing factor to chronic diseases, and it is often correlated with obesity. To promote an increase in physical activity, we created a social computer game, Fish'n'Steps, which links a player's daily foot step count to the growth and activity of an animated virtual character, a fish in a fish tank. As further encouragement, some of the players' fish tanks included other players' fish, thereby creating an environment of both cooperation and competition. In a fourteen-week study with nineteen participants, the game served as a catalyst for promoting exercise and for improving game players' attitudes towards physical activity. Furthermore, although most player's enthusiasm in the game decreased after the game's first two weeks, analyzing the results using Prochaska's Transtheoretical Model of Behavioral Change suggests that individuals had, by that time, established new routines that led to healthier patterns of physical activity in their daily lives. Lessons learned from this study underscore the value of such games to encourage rather than provide negative reinforcement, especially when individuals are not meeting their own expectations, to foster long-term behavioral change.

734 citations