Nepal designs video game to teach teens about heart disease risk
Researchers in Nepal have created a serious game called Happy Heart to teach adolescents about cardiovascular health through culturally relevant gameplay. With heart disease risk factors rising among young Nepalis, the digital approach offers schools and health systems a scalable, engaging tool to reach teenagers in regions where traditional health education falls short.
Originaltitel: Developing a digital cardiovascular health education for adolescents in Nepal
<p>The high prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors among adolescents of Nepal necessitates targeted interventions among this age group. Adolescents need a user friendly, acceptable and hands on media for cardiovascular health education. Digital technologies such as serious games have proven pedagogic potential. In this study, we aim to describe the steps followed to develop a serious game tailored to the needs of the adolescents in a sub-urban community in Nepal. We adopted a three-step development process: (1) defining learning goals, (2) developing and testing the game design and (3) incorporating active culturalization throughout the iterative game development process. We describe how culturalization was applied in each step to achieve educational viability. The final game called Happy Heart consisted of seven mini games: Name the food, Food sorter, Sugar rush, Salt seeker, Fat buster, Plan your meal and Activate. The game was augmented by an in-game journal that addressed complex concepts that could not be integrated into the game mechanics. The final game was culturally adapted and addressed the learning gaps of the target population. Learning through games has high potential in a lower middle-income country like Nepal.</p>