Fighting Global Obesity Through Gamification

Fighting Global Obesity Through Gamification

Introduction (Aims)

Obesity, as well as overweight, has become an epidemic that the globe is fighting with more than 2 billion people dying from them every year (WHO, 2018 Pg. 1). Moreover, obesity is not only experienced in high-income countries but also in medium and low-income countries. With the technological revolution the world is experiencing in the health sector, programmers have been aided to come up with an efficient way of creating awareness of obesity through gaming (Braunstein, 2018 Pg. 1). The invention comes along with a positive social and health impact through the promotion of health and wellness. For instance, gamification has been introduced in Santiago as a mode of combating with childhood obesity after it was discovered to be a health crisis in the region. This is done by conducting nutritional competitions among the children then thereafter follows a prize for the winner (Braunstein, 2018 Pg. 1).

This research aims at decreasing the risk of developing ill-health conditions and diseases such as stroke, hypertension, Dyslipidemia Osteoarthritis as well as mortality which is as a result of obesity. Furthermore, focuses on the reduction of psychological disturbances, stigma, and discrimination as well as improving self-esteem and confidence for people living with obesity.

Methodology

The methodology will start with research planning which will comprise of which places to visit and gather information, the age-bracket to consider the most, the methods of data collection, and how to analyze the data so as to come up with precise findings and results. Methods for data collection will include qualitative methods focused on social and behaviors of obese people through in-depth interviews and focus-group-discussions with a sampled population. Besides that, more data and statistics will be gotten from already done research by governmental and non-governmental health organizations. Other methods will include observational techniques, and simple questionnaires based on nutrition. On the other hand, the data collected will undergo thematic and framework analysis.

Required Knowledge/Skills/Tools/Resources

Since the research is a sort of a project it will require some project management skills and advanced knowledge. This is due to the fact that these skills are required in setting up considerate aims, schedule and time-management planning, and deciding on the required resources. In addition, Armstrong (2018 Pg. 1) affirms that data handling knowledge and skills are also mandatory since the research incorporates huge sums of data which consumes a lot of time and money in the process of its collection. The statistical data needs to be well-organized, sorted both manually and electronically, then stored for analysis. Consequently, IT skills and literacy (HTML, Javascript, SQL, and CSS) are significant in the research since the data will require a database for storage and analysis (Armstrong, 2018 Pg. 1). This is because these databases come along with analytical tools which make the analysis process effective, efficient and time-saving. Required resources will include funds, computers, pens, books, sign language interpreters among others.

Time-plan

The table below shows a systematic time framework for conducting the research.

Reference

Armstrong, C., (2018). 5 Skills You Need to Become a Researcher – Careers Advice – jobs.ac.uk. [online] Jobs.ac.uk. Available at: https://www.jobs.ac.uk/careers-advice/working-in-higher-education/1203/5-skills-you-need-to-become-a-researcher [Accessed 12 Nov. 2018].

Braunstein, D., (2018). Gamification: An Introduction to Its Potential. [online] HuffPost. Available at: https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_3167566 [Accessed 12 Nov. 2018]..

WHO, (2018). 10 facts on obesity. [online] World Health Organization. Available at: http://www.who.int/features/factfiles/obesity/en/ [Accessed 12 Nov. 2018].