5727_ECCS_Elena_Cadel

BCFN Young Earth Solutions YES! Assessment and stimulation of healthy and sustainable eating behaviours: A serious game project to support appropriate food choices Abstract: This project aims to exploit e-gaming technology to create a fun and interactive virtual education environment for the promotion of healthy food choices amongst the younger sector of the population. The idea is based on an innovative bottom-up approach, within the frame of positive technology. It aims to stimulate constructive empowerment in entertainment-seeking learners using a serious game (SG) that can hold the attention long enough to teach nutritional information and cookery skills.

Research within the field of psychology has shown that experience through meaningful learning activities is more effective in motivating younger people, compared with standard top-down approaches which are based on the provision of information, often focusing on the negative consequences of a particular diet, alone.

This proposal presents the structure, elements and gaming criteria for such a tool, and briefly describes how it would work. This SG can be easily built using existing game engines and it can be implemented and adjusted to different contexts and cultural environments, expanding its use to larger audiences.

Author

Elena Cadel Federica Pallavicini Emma White

ASSESSMENT AND STIMULATION OF HEALTHY AND SUSTAINABLE EATING BEHAVIOURS: A SERIOUS GAMES PROJECT TO SUPPORT APPROPRIATE FOOD CHOICES Elena Cadel¹, Federica Pallavicini, Emma White Meat and dairy consumption in modern Italy Italian cuisine has become famous in the world for the quality and variety of its products.

The entire food cycle does not only affect the Italian economy but helps to maintain Italian national identity. Most Italians are proud of their cuisine and probably think they do not need a healthier diet. However, what Italians eat today is very far from the original Mediterranean diet. In particular, the consumption of meat and dairy products has risen considerably over recent years. These products are perceived as nutritious and healthy, with their consumption being deeply embedded in Western cultures. But raising animals for food in industrialized settings is a highly polluting activity. Moreover, potential health risks are associated with an excessive consumption of animal proteins, including cancers, cardiovascular diseases and “metabolic syndrome” (EPIC, 2011).

Food choice is not simply a matter of “taste”, but involves a number of cognitive processes and psycho-physiological variables, within a network of social meanings, embedded in cultural identity (Ogden, 2011). Moreover, research points out that people do not seem to be fully aware of their food intake and that meat is often eaten “mindlessly”.

Capillary information alone has therefore been proven to fail in reshaping eating behaviours, if specific factors related to dietary choices are not targeted.

Changing behaviour using Serious Games This project aims to use “Serious Games” to promote a more traditional Mediterranean/Italian diet, with a reduction in animal protein and fat intake in the young and younger adults (18-35), that are believed to be the critical consumers and healthcare system users of tomorrow.

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Normally, people do not change their habits because they know they can, although they may do so when they realize they should. Psychology research (e.g. Theory of Planned Behavior; Ajzen, 2002), explains some of the factors and dynamics that encourage people to choose a certain food over another. The combination of attitudes, motivations, learning experiences and a perception of control are key factors in changing behaviour. Standard top-down educational programs aiming at modifying people’s habits in this way are very consuming in time and resources, but new technologies can come in hand, offering convenient solutions that can be applied to wider groups.

This proposal is based on Positive Technology (PT), an applied science for improving the quality of personal experience, increasing wellness by generating strengths and resilience (Riva et al., 2011). Among the technologies that can be used within this approach, Serious Games (SG) are considered the most appropriate for young people.

SG’s rely on digital games designed for goals other than pure entertainment, exploiting the potential of emotional involvement for the purpose of learning.

They are a valuable resource for the promotion of change in lifestyles of both individuals and organizations. Moreover, in Multi-player versions, SG’s have the potential to support social connectedness and to enhance cooperation and collaborative problem solving (Ritterfeld et al., 2009).

As far as food choice is concerned, dietary guidelines and cooking games are easily available on web stores. No-one, however, currently combines these ideas into a single SG. In this project, the aforementioned considerations would be used to develop an innovative platform for the assessment and management of food intake, designed with a user-centred approach.

The gaming platform The user platform is divided into two areas: one for the assessment of personal nutritional profiles and intakes, as well as rating the consequences of a poor diet (Assessment Area); and one for the training of cookery skills for healthy and sustainable meals, utilised in different contests (Cooking Area).

In the first area the player starts with a shopping session. The task involves the simulation of the standard weekly grocery shop, including those for the weekend and meals with 2

different people to be invited. At the cashier, the player meets with a doctor who assesses his/her real food intakes versus their actual needs, using an emoticon feedback symbol, supported by pop-out graphs and charts. Moreover, the doctor will show a projection of the consequences of the current diet over a period of five to ten years.

In the second area, the player is tasked with cooking various healthy meals (leaner in animal proteins). The game presents a simulation of a kitchen, in which the player is required to choose and prepare a number of recipes according to different seasons and contexts (such as a single dinner, lunch with a friend/family, romantic meal, etc). The game involves completing short mini-games, ranging from basic recipes to more sophisticated ones. A chef character will give guidance on the tasks the player has to carry out and offer feedback on the player’s success or failure. Throughout the game, the chef will drop nuggets of information about food characteristics and the ingredient’s properties.

In order to fulfil the gaming criteria, the overall structure of the game and the instructions provided will be kept as simple as possible. The nature of the challenge, the levels and the scoring methods may be adjusted to suit the experience of the player, enabling access to a vaster range of audiences.

A multiplayer web version will also be available, introducing an element of competiveness, while social networks interfaces (e.g. facebook or twitter) could be an interesting further option.

In summary, this project offers an innovative bottom-up approach which aims to engage learning experience, using a serious game that can hold the attention long enough to teach nutritional information and cookery skills to the younger sector of the population.

This SG has two main advantages. Firstly, it can be easily built using existing game engines, utilising the support of dietary experts to create control database and psychologists to design the best way to deliver messages and address the most adequate game criteria. Secondly, it can be implemented and adjusted to suit different contexts and cultural environments, expanding its use into other Countries.

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