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A Socio-Ecological Approach to Activity Games for Girls

Published: 06 October 2021 Publication History

Abstract

Most American girls are not meeting physical activity guidelines, placing them at risk for adverse health consequences. In response, our team developed Frolic, an evidence-based mobile application to address this problem through play. Frolic uses a socio-ecological framework and behavioral design principles to address barriers and social norms that are specific to girls. Parents are leveraged as important sources of support and motivation, with key design elements to help girls initiate play, adapt to the space, and play independently. The current paper contributes design principles for creating socio-ecological activity games for girls. In addition, we contribute the design of Frolic itself, a game constructed according to these guidelines, and outline future intervention studies with the app itself. Finally, we provide the perspectives of professional game designers and health experts on our work and interpretative insights for game designers and researchers who hope to work in this space.

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cover image Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction
Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction  Volume 5, Issue CHI PLAY
CHI PLAY
September 2021
1535 pages
EISSN:2573-0142
DOI:10.1145/3490463
Issue’s Table of Contents
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Published: 06 October 2021
Published in PACMHCI Volume 5, Issue CHI PLAY

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  1. childhood intervention
  2. game design
  3. games for health
  4. physical activity

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View all
  • (2023)Attachment-Informed Design: Digital Interventions That Build Self-Worth, Relationships, and Community in Support of Mental HealthProceedings of the 2023 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference10.1145/3563657.3596009(2453-2468)Online publication date: 10-Jul-2023
  • (2022)Comment on Alharbi et al. Adoption of Health Mobile Apps during the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Health Belief Model Approach. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 4179International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health10.3390/ijerph19241684619:24(16846)Online publication date: 15-Dec-2022

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