NCT07276412

Study on the Effect of a Gamified Health Education Programme on Primary School Children

Study on the Effect of a Health Education Programme Based on Gamification Strategies on Diet, Sedentary Behaviour and Daily Physical Activity in Primary School Children.

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 500 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Universidad de Extremadura · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 6 Years – 7 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

This randomised study evaluates the effectiveness of Health Education through a Gamified Health Programme on diet, sedentary behaviour and daily physical activity in primary school children.

Detailed description

The prevalence of childhood obesity is high, being a serious health problem in our country, where 4 out of ten boys and girls are overweight. Among the risk factors associated with obesity, the most prominent continue to be: lack of physical activity, those related to eating habits and excess time in front of screens. Given that obesity is considered one of the most serious epidemics of the 21st century and that, if it is not stopped in childhood, it can cause serious health problems in adulthood, it is very important to work on this stage to reduce it. In this evolutionary stage, children spend a lot of time in schools; Involving their teachers and teachers is important, but it is still necessary to do it with families as well. In this field, in that of fathers, mothers and/or guardians, the data shows parental weakness in aspects related to Health Education, such as those shown by the ALADINO 2019 study, where they point out that 7 out of 10 schoolchildren with excess weight are perceived by their parents as within a normal weight. Our Health Education Program aims to ensure that the main actors (children) are accompanied and guided by their families and their teachers in the implementation of a series of activities associated with the achievement or improvement of daily habits. related to the previously indicated risk factors. The Health Program, lasting 6 months, consists of daily, weekly or fortnightly activities. All of them interrelated and connected under the common objective of initiating or consolidating the aforementioned habits, in such a way that they improve the values of overweight in our sample. We try to involve the child through gamification, through a story embodied in an interface that makes them feel involved. The achievement and fulfillment of each entrusted task will mean a series of achievements that will motivate the participants to continue accepting challenges.

Conditions

• Gamification in Health Education
• Health Education

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Intervention - A	For this Intervention Group, rewards act as the main motivating factor for the children in this intervention group. Each time they complete the activities proposed in the application, they receive a "Bellotex Salud" avatar card, which symbolises their progress and identifies them as "Bellotex Masters". This gamified recognition boosts their involvement and reinforces their adherence to the intervention. In addition, this group does not attend weekly health education sessions, so the improvements observed can be attributed to the use of the app and the motivation generated by the rewards associated with the healthy habits worked on.
BEHAVIORAL	Intervention - B	In this Intervention Group, participants will not have access to the rewards that act as the main motivating factor. Each time they complete the activities proposed in the application, they will pass the challenge but will not receive the "Bellotex Health" avatar card, which symbolises their progress and identifies them as "Bellotex Masters", thus allowing them to assess their potential involvement and adherence to the intervention without the reinforcement of gamified recognition. However, this group has access to weekly health education sessions, so the improvements observed can be attributed to the use of the app and the training received through these capsules associated with different healthy habits.
BEHAVIORAL	Intervention - C	For this Intervention Group, rewards act as the main motivating factor. Each time they complete the activities proposed in the application, they receive a "Bellotex Salud" avatar card, which symbolises their progress and identifies them as "Bellotex Masters". This gamified recognition boosts their involvement and reinforces their adherence to the intervention. In addition, this group has access to weekly health education sessions, so that the improvements observed can be attributed to the use of the app and the training received through these capsules associated with different healthy habits.

Timeline

• Start date: 2024-09-02
• Primary completion: 2026-07-24
• Completion: 2026-09-07
• First posted: 2025-12-11
• Last updated: 2025-12-11

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Spain