Oluwatosin Leshi PhD, Ebunoluwa Daini BSc, Uduak David M.Sc.
{"title":"Enhancing Fruit and Vegetable Knowledge Through Gamification: A Board Game-Based Nutrition Intervention Among Female Undergraduates","authors":"Oluwatosin Leshi PhD, Ebunoluwa Daini BSc, Uduak David M.Sc.","doi":"10.1016/j.jneb.2025.05.019","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Global fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake is generally low across all age groups and countries, despite its role in preventing cardiometabolic diseases. Innovation strategies such as gamification offers a promising approach to enhance F&V knowledge and influence dietary behaviors.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>This study assessed the effect of a board game-based nutrition intervention on F&V knowledge among female undergraduates</div></div><div><h3>Study Design, Settings, Participants</h3><div>Forty female undergraduates from a Nigerian University were randomly assigned to either an intervention group (20) or a control group (20). The intervention group were exposed to and participated in a F&V-themed board game, Nutripoly to enhance their nutrition knowledge over three consecutive days. The control group were engaged in an educational session unrelated to F&V.</div></div><div><h3>Measurable Outcome/Analysis</h3><div>Pre- and post-intervention data on participants' F&V knowledge were collected through a semi-structured, self-administered questionnaire</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The mean age of participants was 19.1±0.8 years (intervention) and 19±1.0 years (control). In the intervention group, the proportion of the participants with adequate knowledge of F&V significantly increased from 46.7% to 100% (p=0.001), whereas there was decline in the control group from 64% to 60% (p=0.746). Additionally, in the intervention group, the 24-hour fruit intake increased from 13% to 33%, and vegetable intake from 13% to 20%. The control group reported a modest increase in 24-hour fruit intake from 16% to 20%, while vegetable intake reduced from 16% to 13%.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The board game-based nutrition intervention significantly improved F&V knowledge and showed potential for enhancing F&V intake among female undergraduates. Scaling up this gamified approach could be an effective strategy for promoting healthy eating habits among young adults and other populations</div></div><div><h3>Funding</h3><div>None</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50107,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior","volume":"57 8","pages":"Page S7"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3000,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1499404625001356","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"EDUCATION, SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background
Global fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake is generally low across all age groups and countries, despite its role in preventing cardiometabolic diseases. Innovation strategies such as gamification offers a promising approach to enhance F&V knowledge and influence dietary behaviors.
Objective
This study assessed the effect of a board game-based nutrition intervention on F&V knowledge among female undergraduates
Study Design, Settings, Participants
Forty female undergraduates from a Nigerian University were randomly assigned to either an intervention group (20) or a control group (20). The intervention group were exposed to and participated in a F&V-themed board game, Nutripoly to enhance their nutrition knowledge over three consecutive days. The control group were engaged in an educational session unrelated to F&V.
Measurable Outcome/Analysis
Pre- and post-intervention data on participants' F&V knowledge were collected through a semi-structured, self-administered questionnaire
Results
The mean age of participants was 19.1±0.8 years (intervention) and 19±1.0 years (control). In the intervention group, the proportion of the participants with adequate knowledge of F&V significantly increased from 46.7% to 100% (p=0.001), whereas there was decline in the control group from 64% to 60% (p=0.746). Additionally, in the intervention group, the 24-hour fruit intake increased from 13% to 33%, and vegetable intake from 13% to 20%. The control group reported a modest increase in 24-hour fruit intake from 16% to 20%, while vegetable intake reduced from 16% to 13%.
Conclusions
The board game-based nutrition intervention significantly improved F&V knowledge and showed potential for enhancing F&V intake among female undergraduates. Scaling up this gamified approach could be an effective strategy for promoting healthy eating habits among young adults and other populations
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior (JNEB), the official journal of the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior, is a refereed, scientific periodical that serves as a global resource for all professionals with an interest in nutrition education; nutrition and physical activity behavior theories and intervention outcomes; complementary and alternative medicine related to nutrition behaviors; food environment; food, nutrition, and physical activity communication strategies including technology; nutrition-related economics; food safety education; and scholarship of learning related to these areas.
The purpose of JNEB is to document and disseminate original research and emerging issues and practices relevant to these areas worldwide. The Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior welcomes evidence-based manuscripts that provide new insights and useful findings related to nutrition education research, practice and policy. The content areas of JNEB reflect the diverse interests in nutrition and physical activity related to public health, nutritional sciences, education, behavioral economics, family and consumer sciences, and eHealth, including the interests of community-based nutrition-practitioners. As the Society''s official journal, JNEB also includes policy statements, issue perspectives, position papers, and member communications.