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

 描述（由申请人提供）：身体活动（PA）是预防儿童肥胖和降低个体患2型糖尿病（T2 D）和某些类型癌症风险的关键。虽然传统的PA干预措施面临的问题，持续的动机和坚持，积极的视频游戏（AVG）提供了一个创新的替代PA推广，由于其激励属性。虽然AVG可以让玩家达到推荐的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：叙述。叙事或故事情节有效地利用了人类对叙事结束的需求，即，需要知道故事的结局一个结构良好的叙事对认知、情感和健康行为有着重要的影响。然而，叙事元素很少被纳入AVGs。一个有故事情节的AVG应该通过增加动机和延长游戏来鼓励孩子参与更多的PA。因此，具有令人信服的叙述的AVG应该增加认知和情感AVG评估，客观测量PA，从而获得更好的身体成分。我们计划探索AVG中增加引人注目的叙述的新颖性以及对中度至剧烈PA（MVPA）的心理和行为后果。我们建议首先确定叙事AVG设计策略，以增加PA不同种族的儿童通过3个实验（摘录）。每一个实验都着眼于叙事创作的一个关键问题。实验1检查哪种类型的情节（连续/情节）将导致更多的MVPA。实验2检查是否种族模糊的字符会导致更多的MVPA比种族特定的。实验3研究了哪种类型的AVG游戏角色（相似/理想/幻想）会导致超重/肥胖儿童的MVPA更多。然后，我们将使用从实验1-3中获得的见解，充分开发6个AVG的叙述，并在3组随机对照试验（RCT）中测试其在210名8-12岁儿童中的作用，这些儿童参加了6个月以上的儿童肥胖干预; 3组共70名儿童，仅接受干预（对照组），70名儿童将接受干预，也将通过观看相应的叙述和播放AVG来播放AVG的叙述版本，最后一组70人将接受干预，并将播放没有叙述的原始版本的AVG。将测量他们的身体组成、客观测量的PA、来自空腹血糖和胰岛素的胰岛素抵抗和炎症指标、C反应蛋白（CRP）和空腹血脂谱以及认知和情感AVG评价。这项研究是一系列严格的系统性调查的第一步，通过AVG的叙事行为潜力，以打击儿童肥胖和T2 D。我们对叙事的激励能力的探索将激发新颖的AVG设计，并在不同的儿童中引入一个新的PA促进维度，即沉浸式和包容性游戏，然后可以转化为基于学校或家庭的健康干预措施。这种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.