Smoking Cessation Computer Games and Mobile Apps

(Access to Coverage of Tobacco Treatment In Our Nation)

September 8, 2010 - Computer gaming often conjures up images of slackers so engrossed in a virtual world that they harm their health by skipping meals and exercise, spending endless hours with their eyes glued to the screen and their hand clicking away. At academic institutions around the country, designers are looking for a better role, developing games aimed at helping people improve their health in a variety of ways. These include getting diabetics to eat right, leading Parkinson’s patients through rehabilitation, and helping smokers quit.

For example, at Champlain College animation designers are working with the Vermont Health Department to promote a new behavior mod game, Khemia, intended to help smokers quit. And at Columbia University’s Teachers College, a team of professors and students developed a smoking cessation game for mobile devices like the iPhone.

Debra Lieberman, director of Health Games Research at the University of California-Santa Barbara, said computer games can be valuable tools for addressing health problems but emphasized that they need to be backed by strong research. “The health games field is growing really fast,” she said. “What’s not keeping up is our evidence base, our research. Before you just grab and use a health game, you have to ask some questions about its quality. Is there any evidence that the game works?” Lieberman is administering $4 million in grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to researchers around the country.

For More Information:
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_16000069?nclick_check=1

National Working Group for ACTTION

Partnership for Prevention

In The News RSS

Join the Network! RSS

Key Dates RSS