Gamification in Mobile Health Apps: A Quasi-Experimental Study on Adolescent Obesity Prevention
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Adolescent Obesity, Behavior Change, Obesity Prevention
Abstract
Adolescent obesity has become a global public health crisis, demanding effective and engaging intervention strategies. While mobile health (mHealth) apps offer a scalable platform for promoting healthy lifestyles, maintaining long-term engagement among adolescents remains a significant challenge. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a gamified Health application on promoting positive changes in physical activity, dietary habits, and anthropometric measures among adolescents at risk for obesity, compared to a non-gamified version of the same application. A 12-week, quasi-experimental study was conducted with 150 adolescents (aged 13-16) with a BMI above the 85th percentile. Participants were assigned to either an intervention group (n=75) using a gamified mHealth app featuring points, badges, and leaderboards, or a control group (n=75) using a non-gamified version with identical health content. The intervention group demonstrated significantly greater increases in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (p < .01) and higher consumption of fruits and vegetables (p < .05) compared to the control group. Furthermore, the gamified app users showed a modest but statistically significant reduction in their BMI z-score (p < .05), a change not observed in the control group. App engagement metrics were also 70% higher in the intervention group. The integration of gamification elements into mHealth applications is a highly effective strategy for preventing obesity in adolescents.
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