Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25172024›Full record

ArticlePreventive medicine2014

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

Ann DeSmet, Dimitri Van Ryckeghem, Sofie Compernolle, Tom Baranowski, Debbe Thompson, Geert Crombez, Karolien Poels, Wendy Van Lippevelde, Sara Bastiaensens, Katrien Van Cleemput and 2 more

2 registry-linked trialsAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Preventive medicine, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 132 papers, 13 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
132citing papers in PubMed, 13 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT03643237 nacompletednot on this mapstarted 2018, after this paper: background citation

Gaming Applied to the Promotion of Active Aging

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of Santiago de CompostelaRan2018 to 2019Enrolled180ConditionsAging, Aging ProblemsArmsVideo game-based intervention, Control group
NCT05985460 naunknown statusnot on this mapstarted 2023, after this paper: background citation

A Very Brief Intervention to Increase the Intention to Practice Physical Activity

TypeinterventionalSponsorThe University of Hong KongRan2023 to 2025Enrolled3,000ConditionsPhysical ActivityArmsIntervention: motion-sensor video game, Placebo: mobile APP game (without motion-sensoring)
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

132 citing papers in PubMed, 13 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  9. Serious games for smoking prevention and cessation: A systematic review of game elements and game effects.Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA · 2020
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72 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Ann DeSmetDepartment of Movement and Sports Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Watersportlaan 2, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: Ann.DeSmet@ugent.be.
Dimitri Van RyckeghemDepartment of Experimental-Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Belgium.
Sofie CompernolleDepartment of Movement and Sports Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Watersportlaan 2, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium.
Tom BaranowskiChildren's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
Debbe ThompsonChildren's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
Geert CrombezDepartment of Experimental-Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Belgium.
Karolien PoelsDepartment of Communication Studies, Faculty of Political and Social Sciences, University of Antwerp, Belgium.
Wendy Van LippeveldeDepartment of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Belgium.
Sara BastiaensensDepartment of Communication Studies, Faculty of Political and Social Sciences, University of Antwerp, Belgium.
Katrien Van CleemputDepartment of Communication Studies, Faculty of Political and Social Sciences, University of Antwerp, Belgium.
Heidi VandeboschDepartment of Communication Studies, Faculty of Political and Social Sciences, University of Antwerp, Belgium.
Ilse De BourdeaudhuijDepartment of Movement and Sports Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Watersportlaan 2, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium.

Funding

Video games for Obesity & Diabetes Prevention: Efficacy TrialR01DK091254 · NIDDK · BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE · PI BARANOWSKI, TOM · 2012 to 2016
$2.9M
NIDDK NIH HHS R01 DK091254
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

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

Indexed as

Life StyleVideo GamesFemaleHealth BehaviorHealth PromotionHumansMaleRecreationDigital gamesHealth promotionMeta-analysisMulticomponentSerious gamesSystematic reviewTailoring

Identifiers

PMID25172024
PMCPMC4403732

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.