Management of chronic pediatric diseases with interactive health games: theory and research findings.
In randomized clinical trials, children and adolescents improved their self care and reduced their emergency clinical utilization after playing health education and disease management video games. A diabetes game reduced diabetes-related urgent and emergency visits by 77 percent after diabetic youngsters had the game at home for six months, compared to no reduction in clinical utilization in a control group of diabetic youngsters who took home an entertainment video game that had no health content. Positive impacts were also found in clinical trials of games for asthma self-management and smoking prevention.
Lieberman
D A
DA
University of California, Santa Barbara, California, USA.
D000293:Adolescent; D001249:Asthma / Q000628:therapy; D002648:Child; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000628:therapy*; D003142:Communication; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000628:therapy; D019468:Disease Management; D004630:Emergencies / Q000453:epidemiology; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012648:Self Care / Q000592:standards*; D020377:Self Efficacy; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D018910:Video Games / Q000523:psychology* / Q000600:supply & distribution