The Narrative Effect of Active Video Games on Long-term Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity

 描述(由申请人提供)：体力活动(PA)对于预防儿童肥胖和降低个人患2型糖尿病(T2D)和某些类型癌症的风险都是关键。虽然传统的PA干预面临持续动机和坚持的问题，但积极的视频游戏(AVGs)由于其激励特性为PA推广提供了一种创新的替代方案。虽然AVG可以让球员达到推荐的PA水平，但儿童玩AVG的动机往往会迅速下降。为了减少这种下降，我们引入了一个创新的激励因素：叙事。叙事或故事情节有效地利用了人类对叙事结束的需要，即需要找出故事将如何结束。一个结构良好的叙事对认知、情感和健康行为有重要影响。然而，叙事元素很少被纳入AVG中。有故事情节的AVG应该通过增加动机和延长游戏时间来鼓励孩子参与更多的PA活动。因此，具有令人信服的叙述的AVG应该增加认知和情感AVG的评估，客观地测量PA，从而产生更好的身体成分。我们计划探索在AVG中加入令人信服的叙述的新颖方式，以及对中度到剧烈的PA(MVPA)的心理和行为后果。我们建议首先确定叙述性AVG设计策略，通过3个实验(实验)在不同种族的儿童中增加PA。每一届世博会都着眼于一个关于叙事创作的关键问题。实验1考察了哪种类型的情节(连续剧/插曲)会导致更多的MVPA。实验2考察了种族模糊的字符是否会比种族特定的字符导致更多的MVPA。实验3考察了哪种类型的AVG游戏角色(类似/理想/幻想)会导致超重/肥胖儿童更多的MVPA。然后，我们将利用从摘录1-3中获得的洞察力来全面开发6个AVG的叙事，并在3组随机对照试验(RCT)中测试它们的效果，其中210名8-12岁儿童参加了为期6个月的儿科肥胖干预；3组包括70名仅接受干预的儿童(对照组)，70名将接受干预的儿童，他们将通过观看相应的叙事并播放AVG的叙事版本，最后70人组将接受干预，并将播放不含叙事的AVG的原始版本。将测量他们的身体成分、客观测量的PA、胰岛素抵抗和由空腹血糖和胰岛素产生的炎症、C反应蛋白(CRP)和空腹血脂，以及认知和情感AVG评估。这项研究是一系列严谨的系统调查的第一步，目的是通过AVGs来对抗儿童肥胖和T2D叙事的行为潜能。我们对叙事的激励能力的探索将启发新颖的AVG设计，并通过在不同儿童中沉浸式和包容性的游戏引入PA促进的新维度，然后可能转化为基于学校或家庭的健康干预措施。这样的调查将有助于创造创新和有效的媒体产品。

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Physical activity (PA) is key both to preventing childhood obesity and to reducing an individual's risk for type 2 diabetes (T2D) and certain types of cancer. While conventional PA interventions face problems of sustained motivation and adherence, active video games (AVGs) offer an innovative alternative for PA promotion due to their motivational properties. Although AVGs may allow players to achieve the recommended levels of PA, children's motivation to play AVGs often decreases quickly. To reduce this decline, we introduce an innovative motivating factor: a narrative. A narrative or storyline effectively draws on the human need for narrative closure, i.e., the need to find out how the story will end. A well-constructed narrative has a significant impact on cognition, affect, and health behavior. However, narrative elements are seldom incorporated into AVGs. An AVG with a storyline should encourage children to engage in more PA through increased motivation and extended play. Consequently, AVGs with compelling narratives should increase cognitive and affective AVG evaluation, objectively-measured PA, resulting in better body composition. We plan to explore both the novel addition of compelling narratives to AVGs and the psychological and behavioral consequences on moderate- to-vigorous PA (MVPA). We propose to first identify narrative AVG design strategies to increase PA among ethnically diverse children through 3 Experiments (Expts). Each expt looks at a critical issue regarding the narrative creation. Expt 1 examines which type of plot (continuous/episodic) would result in more MVPA. Expt 2 examines whether ethnically ambiguous characters would result in more MVPA than ethnically specific ones. Expt 3 examines which type of AVG play character (similar/ideal/fantasy) would result in more MVPA among overweight/obese children. We will then use the insight gained from Expts 1-3 to fully develop narratives for 6 AVGs and test their effect in a 3-Group Randomized Control Trial (RCT) among 210 8-12 yo children enrolled in a pediatric obesity intervention over 6 mo; the 3 groups consist of 70 children receiving only the intervention (control group), 70 children who will receive the intervention and also will play the narrative versions of the AVGs by watching corresponding narratives and playing the AVGs, and the last group of 70 will receive the intervention and will play the original versions of the AVGs without narratives. Their body composition, objectively-measured PA, measures of insulin resistance and inflammation derived from fasting glucose and insulin, C-reactive protein (CRP), and fasting lipid profiles as well as cognitive and affective AVG evaluation will be measured. This study is a first step in a series of rigorous systematic inquiries into the behavioral potentials of narratives via AVGs for combating childhood obesity and T2D. Our exploration of narrative's motivating capacities will inspire novel AVG designs and introduce a new dimension of PA facilitation with immersive and inclusive games among diverse children, which may then be translated into school- or family-based health interventions. Such inquiries would help create innovative and effective media products.