GUSTAVO IN GNAM’S PLANET: A SERIOUS GAME TO PROMOTE HEALTHY BEHAVIOURAL CHANGES. A PILOT STUDY

Introduction: Obesity and Type 2Diabetes are diseases of great social relief, whose incidence and prevalence are increasing. Serious games have been used as a tool allowing the players to interact with games in order to acquire knowledge and skills on healthy topics. Aim of study: Within a project supported by the Italian Ministry of Health, a Video Game called ‘GUSTAVO IN GNAM’S PLANET’ has been developed with the scope to promote healthy choices and awareness in young people. Aim of our pilot study was to assess the efficacy of this innovative tool. Material and Methods: Amultidisciplinary team consisting of experts in nutrition and metabolic diseases, psychologist, dietitian, musician, and games designers was assembled. Behavioral change theorieswere adopted to guide the design of the healthmessages. A sample of 48 subjects aged 15–18 years were included in the study. On-line validated questionnaires on knowledge of healthy food (scoring from 0 to 88) and on eating habits were administered at baseline. Participants were asked to play the game for at least half an hour per day during the following week. After that, the same questionnaires were re-administered. Results: After playing the video game, subjects showed significant higher scores (i.e. much more knowledge) in the questionnaire on knowledge of healthy food (70.0 + / - 1.3 vs. 71.3 + / - 1.4; p < 0.05) and much more healthy eating habits. Conclusion: Our pilot study demonstrates that the video game ‘GUSTAVO’ is an effective tool for teaching nutrition knowledge and promoting healthy lifestyle.