A Digital Game on Promoting Family Well-being

Overview

Advances in information communication technologies (ICT) allow for ICT-assisted health promotion to become more common. Integrating ICT in health promotion has been suggested to offer many advantages compared to traditional approaches to promote family well-being. Research has also shown the positive effects of game-based approaches in enhancing health promotion interventions, especially with children. We will develop and conduct an online survey to assess the use of games and gamification for health promotion, as well as a family-based randomized controlled trial to promote healthy living.

With growing emphasis on the development and maintenance of healthy lifestyles, the family role has increasing importance. A family-based health promotion strategy can be instrumental in helping disseminate and reinforce knowledge and behaviours on family well-being and better equip families to protect themselves and promote family well-being beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the pandemic led to increased sedentary behavior and unhealthy eating. New, innovative health promotion strategies and approaches to increase physical activity and healthy diet and enhance well-being are needed. This study aims to investigate and use a game-based approach to enhance knowledge and behaviours on healthy living and family well-being. We will conduct quantitative and qualitative evaluation. The findings would provide evidence of the feasibility and effectiveness of such an approach in a family-based context. It would also guide the direction for future health education and awareness trials and related projects and campaigns for health promotion efforts and to help improve family well-being in the Hong Kong community and elsewhere.