0000000000064518
AUTHOR
Jessica Navarro
Efficacy and acceptability of a web platform to teach nutrition education to children.
Introduction: Nutrition Education (NE) has been identified as a key factor to prevent children obesity. Teachers and dietitians are the professionals in charge of transmitting this knowledge to children; however, it has been identified that they do not possess either proper training, or the proper tools to perform this activity. Objectives: to evaluate the acceptability and usability of a NE Internet platform and its two "Serious Games" (SGs) among a sample of elementary school teachers, dietitians, and education students. In addition, to evaluate the efficacy of this platform to teach NE in a sample of children aged 9 to 12 years. Methods: a total of 66 NE professionals and 135 children pa…
Exergames on Line for Childhood Obesity: Using a Web Platform as an Ambulatory Program to Increase the Acceptance and Adherence to Physical Activity (PA)
Many initiatives exist to promote physical activity (PA) in children but dropouts are a very common outcome. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are considered as useful tools to promote adherence in PA. This study analyzes the acceptance and adherence of an Internet-based exergame (MOVE-IT) to promote PA compared to a non-technological ambulatory intervention (NTI). The role of clinicians support is also analyzed. Thirty one obese children (9–15 aged) were asked to do an exercise routine (3 times/week along 3 months), using a pamphlet (NTI) or MOVE-IT web. In addition, MOVE-IT participants were divided into two groups, with and without (S-EBW/NS-EBW) weekly support. Results s…
Nature Inspired Scenes for Guided Mindfulness Training: Presence, Perceived Restorativeness and Meditation Depth
Practicing mindfulness-based stress reeducation and other contemplative practices generates a number of health and human performance benefits. However, limited access to qualified training and practice support, as well as poor practice environments, makes it difficult to sustain the habits necessary to develop the attentional regulation skills needed to benefit from mindfulness. In this paper, we report on our research, which focuses on developing immersive environments to support mindfulness-based stress reduction practices. We specifically look at how the design of a virtual environment can foster a restorative experience, if that restorative experience is associated with the depth of the…
Adolescent Motivation Toward Physical Exercise: The Role of Sex, Age, Enjoyment, and Anxiety
Physical exercise declines during adolescence due to several factors, such as lack of intrinsic motivation or enjoyment, high physical exercise anxiety, and so on. The objectives of this study were to validate the psychometric structure of the Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire-2 to confirm the existence of five levels of motivation toward physical exercise in adolescent population, as well as to analyze the differences in motivation according to sex and age, and the role of age and sex in the relationship between motivation and enjoyment. To do so, 666 students between 10 and 16 years old completed the Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire-2 and questionnaires relat…
Can Avatar Appearance Influence Physical Activity? User-Avatar Similarity and Proteus Effects on Cardiac Frequency and Step Counts
This study combined user-avatar similarity and Proteus effect predictions to incentivize physical activity. 305 participants ran while wearing accelerometers and a heart rate monitor. They were randomly assigned to onscreen motion-capturing avatars displaying either participant or stranger faces dressed in sports or formal clothes. Participants assigned to avatars displaying their own face showed increased cardiac frequency compared with those exposed to avatars with a stranger's face. Relative to the remaining conditions, participants assigned to avatars with their own face also wearing sports clothes showed increased cardiac frequency but participants assigned to avatars with a stranger's…
Increasing physical activity through an Internet-based motivational intervention supported by pedometers in a sample of sedentary students: A randomised controlled trial
The aim of this study was to analyse the effect of an Internet-based motivational intervention (IMI) supported by pedometers (in comparison with IMI alone and non-intervention) on increasing daily steps and changing constructs related to physical activity (PA) in a sample of sedentary students.A randomised-controlled trial was conducted with 76 sedentary or low-active college students. The purpose of the IMI was to deliver information to increase motivation and set individualised PA goals. It involved a 3-week intervention and a 3-months follow-up.Objective measures were used to measure daily steps, and self-report questionnaires to assess different constructs related to PA.Results revealed…
Efficacy of a cognitive and behavioral treatment for childhood obesity supported by the ETIOBE web platform
Recently, the prevalence of childhood obesity has increased alar- mingly. Interventions combining eating habits, physical activity (PA), behavioral components, and family support have been shown to be effective, although variables such as self-efficacy beliefs and motivation seem to be important in achieving stable changes. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) can provide additional resources to traditional treatments. The objective is to analyze the efficacy of two treatments: a cognitive and behavioral treatment (CBT) focused on the promotion of healthy eating and PA habits, and this CBT intervention supported by a web platform (ETIOBE). Forty-seven obese children were random…
Manipulating Self-Avatar Body Dimensions in Virtual Worlds to Complement an Internet-Delivered Intervention to Increase Physical Activity in Overweight Women
Virtual reality has been found to be a useful tool for positively influencing relevant psychological variables in order to increase physical activity (PA), especially in the overweight population. This study investigates the use of avatars and their physical variations to extend the effectiveness of existing interventions to promote PA. The main objective is to analyze the influence of the avatars&rsquo