עבודת מאסטר בבריאות הציבור

Transcription

1 217//72/12 האוניברסיטה העברית בית הספר לבריאות הציבור ורפואה קהילתית עבודת מאסטר בבריאות הציבור האם השימוש ברשתות חברתיות אלקטרוניות יכול להגביר את ההשפעה החינוכית של משחקי מחשב בנושא תזונה וקיום אורח חיים בריא? Can the use of an electronic social network increase the education impact of a computer game focused on nutrition and healthy lifestyle? מגישה: נעה דגן ת.ז מנחים: פרופ' מאיר ברזיס: מנהל מרכז איכות ובטיחות קלינית, בי"ח הדסה. ביה"ס לבריאות הציבור והפקולטה לרפואה, האוניברסיטה העברית, י-ם. ד"ר בן רייס: Affiliated Faculty, Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology Director, HealthySocial Project בתודה לדר' יהודה ניומרק על הערותיו התורמות לפרויקט זה. 1

2 Abstract Background: Obesity, along with its associated health risks, is a constantly growing epidemic in the modern world. It has been shown recently that computer games can be used for health promotion. Social network games take advantage of the increasing amount of time spent by children and adults using online social networks, such as Facebook. The uniqueness of social network games is that users can view the performance of other network members, and it is conceivable that such exposure might increase users' motivation to succeed in challenges presented by these games. The primary objective of this study is to test the hypothesis that social network games can increase nutritional knowledge further compared to traditional computer games. The secondary objectives are to assess the feasibility of developing a game focused on nutrition and healthy lifestyle education, as well as the ability and limitations of distributing such a game among social network users. Methods: We have designed and developed a social network (Facebook) game focused on nutrition and healthy lifestyle education. The game was distributed using viral marketing, which is the modern substitute to the traditional "word of mouth" communication. Users of the game were randomly assigned to one of two versions: 1) A social version (study group), in which the performance of other users (the user's networks acquaintances) was visible to the user; and 2) A personal version (control group), in which the users could not see the performance of others. Four nutritional quizzes and three menu assembling challenges were used to assess users' knowledge during game use. In an exploratory questionnaire aimed at guiding future research, users were also asked to g m mp u b. t the end of a predetermined two month distribution period on Facebook, the data documenting the game use of all installers was collected. Results: During game development we encountered technical difficulties, mainly due to frequent changes in Facebook's development platform, which resulted in prolongation of the development period to beyond 18 months. This delay prevented the game from addressing some of the latest technology trends. Upon completion of game development, and prior to its distribution, the game was validated by being awarded one of the first place prizes in the US White House "Apps for Healthy Kids" competition for developing applications that encourage kids to lead healthier lifestyle. A total of 66 6

3 users older than 18 years were included in the two month study period, of which 30 were enrolled to the study group and 33 to the control group. The average grade of the final quiz was higher in the study group compared to the control group (73 vs. 55, respectively; P < 0.01). Individual users in the study group improved their performance in the quizzes over time, whereas those in the control group performed worse over time. Similar trend was presented in the ability to assemble a healthy menu, but with no statistical significance. All three variables assessing users investment in the game tended to be higher in the study group, but only in one variable representing the user motivation to pass game levels the difference was statistically significant (P = 0.03). Of all final questionnaire respondents, 43% reported that the game highly influenced their desire to improve nutritional habits and 32% reported that the game actually improved their nutritional habits (no differences g m mp u behavior were found between groups). The main influence of the game, according to respondents, was attention to food composition and caloric value. Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that social networks have the potential to increase the educational impact of games designed for health promotion, possibly by enhancing motivation through allowing users to view their friends' progress and performance. The study, however, emphasizes some limitations of exploiting this technology for health promotion, mainly the need for appropriate budget to allow development in a time frame that will keep the game technologically up to date, and the difficulty of foreseeing game popularity which is crucial for achieving large distribution. The fact that substantial portion of users reported an actual change in nutritional habits can be viewed as justification for further studies evaluating the impact of educational social network games on behavior. /

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