Identifying barriers and facilitators to physical activity and perceptions of Traditional Indigenous Games among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women: a qualitative study.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are key members of the community who have specific roles within their families that may result in lower levels of physical activity (PA) undertaken. Clearly identifying barriers for women to engage with PA, and exploring culturally based activities (i.e. Traditional Indigenous Games), may help to improve long-term health benefits. Subsequently, the aim of this study was to identify the barriers and facilitators for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women engaging in PA, and their interest in participating in Traditional Indigenous Games. Seventeen Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women (34.3 ±â€…10.2 years) participated in focus groups. Through thematic analysis, participants experienced a range of common barriers such as lack of time due to family commitments, limited finances, ageing and poor physical and/or mental health. Common facilitators were also identified such as fun, access and improving mental and/or physical health. Importantly, unique themes were identified for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women including barriers (e.g. racism, shame) and facilitators (e.g. culture, interactions with other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women) that influenced PA participation. Notably, Traditional Indigenous Games were considered as an appealing PA mode to engage with their culture, experience nostalgia and be around other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. These key findings will guide future PA programs including Traditional Indigenous Games to improve health outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, vital members of the community.

Paths from simple game-targeted pro-environmental behaviors to more diverse pro-environmental behaviors: Empirical evidence from the Ant Forest app.

Game interventions have drawn much attention for their playful features and "painless" promotion of simple game-targeted pro-environmental behaviors (GPEBs), which could spill over to more "costly" prosocial behaviors for pro-environmental causes (PSBPs). The literature places much emphasis on game-targeted mechanisms (e.g., enjoyment and competition) to explain the impacts of game interventions, but pays little attention to non-game-targeted mechanisms to explore their spillover effect. Using online survey data from 1246 Chinese residents, this paper first compares players' and nonplayers' levels of engagement with GPEBs and with two common PSBPs, finding a positive spillover effect from game-targeted simple behaviors to more diverse PSBPs. Based upon goal theory, self-perception theory, and learning theory, the paper then examines the underlying mediating mechanisms of the positive relationship between GPEBs and PSBPs for subsamples of players and nonplayers respectively. The results demonstrate that individual awareness of problem and self-efficacy could be enhanced through engaging in simple GPEBs, which could spill over to more challenging and "costly" PSBPs, including charitable giving and volunteering for pro-environmental causes. The study provides important insights on helping to encourage specific types of more challenging PSBPs not directly targeted by the game.

Effects of game-based physical education program on enjoyment in children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review to summarize and assess the advancements lately made on the enjoyable impacts of game-based physical education interventions on children and adolescents. Additionally, it attempted to identify the effects and variables influencing the enjoyable outcomes of children and adolescents' engagement in physical education games, through meta-analysis. METHODS: This study involves a comprehensive search of different databases like Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, EBSCOhost, Cochrane, and Scopus. Specific criteria are established for the selection process to make sure the relevant literature included. The quality assessment of the included researches is conducted based on the guidelines outlined in the Cochrane 5.1 handbook. Review Manager 5.3 software is employed to synthesis the effect sizes. Additionally, bias is assessed using funnel plots, and to identify potential sources of heterogeneity, subgroup analyses are performed. RESULTS: A total of 1907 academic papers, out of which 2 articles were identified via other data sources. The present study examined the impact of a pedagogical intervention involving physical education games on the enjoyment experienced by children and adolescents. The results indicated a significant positive effect (MD = 0.53, 95%CI:[0.27,0.79], P < 0.05) of this intervention on enjoyment. Subgroup analyses further revealed that both boys (MD = 0.31, 95%CI:[0.13,0.50], P < 0.05) and girls (MD = 0.28, 95%CI:[0.05,0.51], P < 0.05) experienced increased pleasure compared to traditional physical education. Additionally, children under 12 years of age (MD = 0.41, 95%CI:[0.17,0.64], P < 0.05) benefited from sessions lasting at least 30 minutes or more per session (MD = 0.40, 95%CI:[0.19,0.60], P < 0.05), occurring 1 to 3 times per week (MD = 0.28, 95%CI:[0.16,0.40], P < 0.05), and lasting for more than 3 weeks (MD = 0.81, 95%CI:[0.29,1.34], P < 0.05). These findings suggest that the implementation of physical education games can be an effective approach to teaching this subject. CONCLUSIONS: 1) Interventions using physical games have been shown to yield beneficial outcomes in terms of enhancing the enjoyment experienced by children and adolescents. 2) The effectiveness of treatments aimed at promoting enjoyment among children and adolescents is influenced by several aspects, including gender, age, duration and frequency of physical activity, as well as the specific cycle of activity used.

Comparing Drinking Game Motives, Behaviors, and Consequences Among Varsity Athletes, Recreational Athletes, and Non-Student-Athletes: A Multisite University Study.

OBJECTIVE: Among college students, student-athletes are at increased risk for heavy alcohol consumption, participation in risky drinking practices (e.g., playing drinking games [DG]), and adverse alcohol-related consequences relative to non-student-athletes. Within the student-athlete population, level of sports participation (e.g., recreational or varsity sports) can affect alcohol use behaviors and consequences, but our understanding of the extent to which level of sports participation influences engagement in DG is limited. Thus, in the present study, we examined differences in frequency of participation in DG, typical drink consumption while playing DG, negative DG consequences, and motives for playing DG among varsity, recreational, and non-student-athletes. METHOD: College students (n = 7,901 across 12 U.S. colleges/universities) completed questionnaires on alcohol use attitudes, behaviors, and consequences. RESULTS: Student-athletes (recreational or varsity sports) were more likely to have participated in DG within the past month than non-student-athletes. Among students who reported past-month DG play, recreational athletes played more often and endorsed more enhancement/thrills motives for playing DG than non-student-athletes, and student-athletes (recreational or varsity) endorsed higher levels of competition motives for playing DG than non-student-athletes. CONCLUSIONS: These findings shed light on some risky drinking patterns and motives of recreational athletes who are often overlooked and under-resourced in health research and clinical practice. Recreational and varsity student-athletes could benefit from alcohol screening and prevention efforts, which can include provision of competitive and alcohol-free social activities and promotion of alcohol protective behavioral strategies to help reduce recreational athletes' risk for harm while playing DG.

Brain responses to positive and negative events in individuals with internet gaming disorder during real gaming.

Objective: This study sought to investigate brain responses to positive and negative events in individuals with internet gaming disorder (IGD) during real gaming as a direct assessment of the neural features of IGD. This investigation reflects the neural deficits in individuals with IGD while playing games, providing direct and effective targets for prevention and treatment of IGD. Methods: Thirty subjects with IGD and fifty-two matched recreational game use (RGU) subjects were scanned while playing an online game. Abnormal brain activities during positive and negative events were detected using a general linear model. Functional connectivity (FC) and correlation analyses between neural features and addiction severity were conducted to provide additional support for the underlying neural features. Results: Compared to the RGU subjects, the IGD subjects exhibited decreased activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) during positive events and decreased activation in the middle frontal gyrus (MFG), precentral gyrus and postcentral gyrus during negative events. Decreased FC between the DLPFC and putamen during positive events and between the MFG and amygdala during negative events were observed among the IGD subjects. Neural features and addiction severity were significantly correlated. Conclusions: Individuals with IGD exhibited deficits in regulating game craving, maladaptive habitual gaming behaviors and negative emotions when experiencing positive and negative events during real game-playing compared to RGU gamers. These abnormalities in neural substrates during real gaming provide direct evidence for explaining why individuals with IGD uncontrollably and continuously engage in game playing, despite negative consequences.

A Single-center Analysis of Three Japanese Patients with Mahjong-related Seizures.

Mahjong is one of the most popular Chinese tile games played in Japan. Mahjong-related seizures (MRS) are rare praxis-induced seizures. We identified three patients with MRS from February 2000 to February 2021. All cases were men, with a middle-age onset, generalized convulsive seizures, and lack of non-provoked, myoclonic, and absence seizures. All patients had no or non-specific neuroimaging or electroencephalogram abnormalities. They did not have features linked to idiopathic generalized epilepsy. All patients were seizure-free after behavioral adjustments, although one patient required anti-seizure medication and avoided long duration games. These changes may help other patients with MRS continue playing Mahjong.

The Theoretical Model of Decision-Making Behaviour Geospatial Analysis Using Data Obtained from the Games of Chess.

The game of chess offers a conducive setting to explore basic cognitive processes, including decision-making. The game exercises analytical cause-and-effect thinking skills regardless of the level of play. Moreover, chess portals provide information on the chess games played and serve as a vast database. The numbers of games played thus have the potential to be analyzed comprehensively, including for purposes other than analyzing chess matches only. The primary objective of this study is to develop a methodology for using information obtained from chess games for geospatial social analysis. The assumption is that the methodology will allow for general geographical variation in personality inference in the future, relying on big data from chess databases. Future large-scale studies of the geographical differentiation of personality traits using the developed methodology may be applicable in a number of ways. The results can be used wherever cross-sectional social analyses are needed in the context of personality traits (decision-making) to better understand their geographical background. In turn, the geographical distribution of these traits is accompanied by a range of important social, educational, health, political and economic implications.

O lúdico no processo de hospitalização das crianças com câncer / Plays in the hospitalization process of children with cancer

Trata-se de uma pesquisa que tem como objetivo analisar as contribuições do lúdico para o processo de hospitalização das crianças com câncer. Durante a sua hospitalização, a criança é afetada em seu estado físico, psicológico ou emocional, porém isso pode ser amenizado através de atividades lúdicas. Metodologicamente, esta pesquisa foi desenvolvida na abordagem qualitativa com método da hermenêutica dialética, que envolveu crianças em tratamento no hospital de referência na cidade de Recife/PE. Nesse caso, a comunicação foi tratada através dos dados recolhidos em fontes bibliográficas, observações dos jogos através do diário de campo e das entrevistas semiestruturadas com as crianças com câncer e seus acompanhantes. Com isso, foi constatado que a ludicidade é um recurso terapêutico enriquecedor, que contribuiu para ao desenvolvimento das crianças com câncer.

This research aims to analyze playfulness's contributions to the hospitalization process of children with cancer. During hospitalization, a child is affected physically, psychologically, or emotionally; however, this can be alleviated through playful activities. Methodologically, this research was developed in a qualitative approach based on dialectic-hermeneutics, which involved children undergoing treatment at a reference hospital in the city of Recife/PE. In this case, communication was treated through data collected from bibliographic sources, observations of the games through field diaries, and semi-structured interviews of children with cancer and their caretakers. Thus, it has been found that playfulness is an enriching.

O brincar de fazer compras como estratégia educativa em saúde bucal do ensino infantil / Playingshoppingas aneducational strategy in oral health for children in early childhood education / Jugar las comprascomo estrategia educativa ensalud bucalpara niños en educacíon infantil

Introdução:A escola é um ambiente propício para o desenvolvimento de hábitos que podem ser aplicadospor toda a vida. Nessa perspectiva, as atividades educativas com escolares podem contribuir significativamente na promoção de saúde bucal e na disseminação de bons hábitos de higiene oral, sendo alternativas capazes de instruir esses sujeitos eficientemente.Objetivo:Relatar a experiência de uma intervenção lúdica de caráter educativo realizada pela equipe de um projeto de extensão com uma turma de educação infantil em escola institucional de educação básica.Metodologia:A partir do conhecimento da faixa etária dos escolares, um jogo educativo foi desenvolvido e uma ação de caráter lúdico foi elaborada. A alimentação saudável foi a temática escolhida para ser trabalhada interdisciplinariamente à conscientização sobre o papel dos alimentos no desenvolvimento da cárie dentária e das orientações de higiene oral. Ao "brincar de fazer compras", momento em que os alunos podiam escolher quais alimentos adquirir no jogo, foi possível discorrer sobre quais dessas escolhas alimentares não eram saudáveis e também orientar os participantescom macromodelosobre a forma correta de escovação e uso dofio dental.Resultados:A interação das crianças com a atividade e com toda equipe de extensionistas foi bastante satisfatória. Foi possível verificar que os mesmos assimilaram bem os assuntos trabalhados ludicamente e foi demonstrado pela intervenção que os alunos conseguiram adquirir conhecimentos práticos sobre a saúde bucal no momento de orientação de higiene oral tanto no jogo quanto na simulação da escovação com macromodelo. Conclusões:Atividades lúdicas para escolares podem ser instrumentos capazes de transmitir conhecimentos em saúde bucal satisfatoriamente ao passo que sinalizam aspectos que devem ser desenvolvidos e incorporados no cotidiano dos indivíduos desde a mais tenra idade (AU).

Introduction: School is a conducive environment for developing habits that can be extended throughout life. From this perspective, educational activities with schoolchildren can significantly contribute to promoting oral health and to disseminate good oral hygiene habits, constituting alternatives which are capable of efficiently educating these subjects. Objective:To report the experience of a playful and educational intervention carried out by the team of an extension project with an early childhood education class in an institutional school of basic education. Methodology: An educational game was developed based on the knowledge of the age range of the school children, and a playful action was elaborated. A healthy eating theme was chosen to be worked on in an interdisciplinary way to raise awareness about the role of food in developing dental caries and oral hygiene guidelines. By "playing shopping" in which students could choose which foods to buy in a game, it was possible to discuss which of these food choices were unhealthy and also guide participants with a macromodel on the correct way of brushing and flossing. Results: The interaction of children with the activity and with the entire extension team was quite satisfactory. It was possible to verify that they had assimilated the playfully addressed issues and it was demonstrated that students were able to acquire practical knowledge about oral health during the oral hygiene orientation in both the game and in the brushing simulation with the macromodel. Conclusions:Playful activities for schoolchildren may constitute instruments which are capable of satisfactorily transmitting knowledge on oral health, and can indicate aspects which must be developed and incorporated into the daily lives of individuals from a very early age (AU).

Introducción: La escuela es un entorno favorable para el desarrollo de hábitos que pueden prolongarse a lo largo de la vida. En esta perspectiva, las actividades educativas con alumnos pueden contribuir significativamente a la promoción de salud oral y de difusión de buenas costumbres de higiene oral, siendo estas alternativas capaces de educar estos sujetos eficientemente.Objetivo:Relatar la experiencia de una intervención lúdica educativo, realizada por un equipo de un proyecto de extensión, direccionada a un grupo de educación infantil en una escuela del sistema educativo básico brasileño. Metodología: A partir del conocimiento de la franja etaria , se diseñó un juego educativo y se planeó una acción de carácter lúdico. La alimentación sana fue la temática elegida para que, de este modo, además de orientaciones de cuidados orales, también se trabajara, interdisciplinariamente, la concientización sobre la relación entre los alimentos y el surgimiento de caries dentarias. Al "jugar a las compras", momento en que los alumnos podían elegir cuales alimentos iban a adquirir, fue posible debatir sobre cuales de las opciones alimentares no eran sanas y, además de eso, orientar los participantes, con un tipodonto, sobre la forma correcta de cepillarse y de usar el hilo dental. Resultados: La interacción con la actividad y con el equipo de extensión fue muy exitosa. Fue posible verificar que los alumnos comprendieron los temas trabajados lúdicamente y también que, a través de la intervención, consiguieron alcanzar conocimientos prácticos sobre salud oral, tanto en el momento de la orientación de higiene oral cuanto en la actividad de simulación de cepillado con el apoyo del tipodonto.Conclusiones:Actividades lúdicas para niños r pueden ser instrumentos capaces de proporcionar aprendizajes sobre salud oral en la medida en que señalan aspectos que necesitan ser desarrollados en las prácticas rutineras de sujetos desde muy temprana edad (AU).

Association of Social Gaming with Well-Being (Escape COVID-19): A Sentiment Analysis.

BACKGROUND: During the 2020-2021 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown, social activities were limited by the government-recommended social distancing guidelines, leading to an abundance of mental health issues. METHODS: We hypothesized that Twitter sentiment analysis may shed some light on Animal Crossing: New Horizons and its impact on mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS: We found that social gaming and social media may be used as tools to cope with stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: Further research, including randomized study designs and prospective measurements of mental health outcomes related to social gaming behavior are required.

A Virtual Reality Serious Videogame Versus Online Chess Augmentation in Patients with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Objective: Serious videogames and virtual reality (VR) have gained increasing interest for treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). "The Secret Trail of Moon" (TSTM) study is a clinical trial devoted to testing the efficacy of TSTM, a VR serious videogame developed to train in five major cognitive skills usually compromised in patients with ADHD. This study is a three-arm nonequality trial comparing TSTM to online chess training and a control group (CG). This study aims to demonstrate that augmentation with either TSTM or online chess is efficacious in clinically drug-stable patients with ADHD. Materials and Methods: This study is prospective, unicentric, and randomized with a CG. One hundred five patients with ADHD, ages 12-22 years old, and pharmacologically stable were enrolled. Patients were randomized into three groups: TSTM group, online chess group (therapeutic chess [TC]), and CG. Objective and subjective measures of the patient and parents are included. Patient visits differ for each group. TSTM group patients have 15 face-to-face visits: preinclusion visit, inclusion visit, 12 training visits, and final visit. TC and CG patients have 3 face-to-face visits (preinclusion, initial visit, and final visit) and 12 e-mail or phone communications during training (TC) or follow-up (CG group). This study was approved by the local Institutional Review Board (IRB). Results: Not applicable. This is a study protocol. Conclusion: This is the first study testing an augmentation strategy using either a serious videogame or chess in clinically drug-treated patients with ADHD. Using VR serious videogames present with several advantages over traditional videogames. Trial Registration: NCT04355065.

Adolescents' Game User Type Based on Adaptive and Maladaptive Game Use.

Objective: This study classified adolescents into specific game user types based on their adaptive and maladaptive game use and then examined the differences in mental health, academic achievement, and quality of life according to game user type. Materials and Methods: This study performed a secondary analysis of data from the ninth analysis of the "Game User Panel" data published by the Korean Creative Content Agency. In addition, an analysis of variance with a post hoc Tukey test was conducted to examine the differences in mental health, academic achievement, and quality of life according to game-use type. This was a retrospective study using secondary deidentified data. Results: Among the total respondents, 39.5% of adolescents were classified as general game users (GGUs), 11.3% as adaptive game users (AGUs), 11.2% as maladaptive game users (MGUs), and 38.0% as twofold game users (TGUs). GGUs had the lowest scores for depression and anxiety, followed by higher scores in AGUs, TGUs, and MGUs. In addition, GGUs scored higher on quality of life than the other groups while the AGUs had higher scores on academic achievement than other groups. Conclusion: Adolescents experience both adaptive and maladaptive use, and experiencing only adaptive use without maladaptive use has been shown to be relatively infrequent. Therefore, education about online game use for adolescents should not be uniformly provided given the psychological characteristics of each group; instead, it should be customized based on game user type.

Effect of long-term individual cognitive stimulation intervention for people with mild neurocognitive disorder. / Efecto de la intervención de estimulación cognitiva individual de larga duración para personas con trastorno neurocognitivo leve.

INTRODUCTION: Cognitive stimulation may be beneficial in slowing the progression of mild neurocognitive disorder (NCD), but the results of existing research are inconsistent. Furthermore, there are no long-term interventions nor individual (one-on-one) interventions applied by professionals. Objetive. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of a long-term individual cognitive stimulation intervention on people with mild NCD. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A pre-post test design with a non-equivalent control group was conducted. A total of 82 participants with mild NCD were assigned to a cognitive stimulation intervention group or to a control group. The intervention consisted of 88 individual format sessions of approximately 45 minutes, twice per week. Independent evaluators assessed cognition, depressive symptomatology and autonomy level in activities of daily living at pre-intervention, intra-intervention (6 months) and post-intervention (12 months). RESULTS: At intra- and post-intervention, significant improvement on cognition and depressive symptomatology in the intervention group compared to the control group were found. Younger participants and those with better cognitive function and status in pre-intervention achieved better results. Adherence to the intervention was high. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest the efficacy of long-term individual cognitive intervention in people with mild NCD, which could delay the progression towards a major NCD.

TITLE: Efecto de la intervención de estimulación cognitiva individual de larga duración para personas con trastorno neurocognitivo leve.Introducción. La estimulación cognitiva puede ser beneficiosa para ralentizar la progresión del trastorno neurocognitivo (TNC) leve, pero los resultados de las investigaciones existentes son inconsistentes. Además, no existen intervenciones a largo plazo ni intervenciones individuales (uno a uno) aplicadas por profesionales. Objetivo. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar la eficacia de una intervención de estimulación cognitiva individual de larga duración para personas con TNC leve. Pacientes y métodos. Se llevó a cabo un diseño pretest-postest con un grupo control no equivalente. Un total de 82 participantes con TNC leve fueron asignados a un grupo de intervención de estimulación cognitiva o a un grupo control. La intervención consistió en 88 sesiones de formato individual de aproximadamente 45 minutos, dos veces por semana. Evaluadores independientes evaluaron la cognición, la sintomatología depresiva y el nivel de autonomía en las actividades de la vida diaria en la preintervención (línea base), la intraintervención (seis meses) y la postintervención (12 meses). Resultados. En la intra- y la postintervención, se encontró una mejora significativa en la cognición y la sintomatología depresiva en el grupo de intervención en comparación con el grupo control. Los participantes más jóvenes y los que tenían una mejor función y estado cognitivo en la preintervención obtuvieron mejores resultados. La adhesión a la intervención fue alta. Conclusiones. Los resultados sugieren la eficacia de una intervención cognitiva individual de larga duración para personas con TNC leve, que podría retrasar la progresión hacia un TNC mayor.

Dorsal and ventral striatal functional connectivity shifts play a potential role in internet gaming disorder.

Animal models suggest transitions from non-addictive to addictive behavioral engagement are associated with ventral-to-dorsal striatal shifts. However, few studies have examined such features in humans, especially in internet gaming disorder (IGD), a proposed behavioral addiction. We recruited 418 subjects (174 with IGD; 244 with recreational game use (RGU)). Resting-state fMRI data were collected and functional connectivity analyses were performed based on ventral and dorsal striatal seeds. Correlations and follow-up spectrum dynamic causal model (spDCM) analyses were performed to examine relationships between the ventral/dorsal striatum and middle frontal gyrus (MFG). Longitudinal data were also analysed to investigate changes over time. IGD relative to RGU subjects showed lower ventral-striatum-to-MFG (mostly involving supplementary motor area (SMA)) and higher dorsal-striatum-to-MFG functional connectivity. spDCM revealed that left dorsal-striatum-to-MFG connectivity was correlated with IGD severity. Longitudinal data within IGD and RGU groups found greater dorsal striatal connectivity with the MFG in IGD versus RGU subjects. These findings suggest similar ventral-to-dorsal striatal shifts may operate in IGD and traditional addictions.

Psychological Resilience, Experimentally Manipulated Social Status, and Dietary Intake among Adolescents.

Relative to other racial/ethnic groups in the United States, Hispanic American (HA) youth have higher rates of overweight and obesity. Previous work suggests that low perceived social status (SS) promotes excess caloric intake and, thereby, development of obesity. Psychological resilience may play a role in reducing adverse eating behaviors and risk for obesity. The objective of this study was to investigate whether resilience (as measured by the Connor Davidson Resilience Scale) interacts with experimentally manipulated SS to affect dietary intake among HA adolescents (n = 132). Using a rigged game of Monopoly (Hasbro, Inc.), participants were randomized to a high or low SS condition. Following the Monopoly game, participants consumed an ad libitum lunch and their dietary intake was assessed. There was a significant interaction between resilience and experimentally manipulated SS for total energy intake (p = 0.006), percent energy needs consumed (p = 0.005), and sugar intake (p = 0.004). For the high SS condition, for each increase in resilience score, total energy intake decreased by 7.165 ± 2.866 kcal (p = 0.014) and percent energy needs consumed decreased by 0.394 ± 0.153 (p = 0.011). In the low SS condition, sugar intake increased by 0.621 ± 0.240 g for each increase in resilience score (p = 0.011). After correction for multiple comparisons, the aforementioned interactions, but not simple slopes, were statistically significant.

Effects of Nintendo Ring Fit Adventure Exergame on Pain and Psychological Factors in Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain.

Objective: In recent years, there has been an increase in research on the therapeutic effects of exergaming, but there have been few studies on these types of interventions for chronic low back pain. In this study, we hypothesized that the Nintendo Ring Fit Adventure (RFA) exergame would be effective for patients with chronic low back pain, and we conducted a randomized prospective longitudinal study. Materials and Methods: Patients with chronic low back pain were included in this study. Twenty randomly selected patients (9 males and 11 females, mean age 49.3 years) were included in the RFA group, and RFA exergaming was performed once a week for 40 minutes for 8 weeks. Twenty patients (12 males and 8 females, mean age 55.60 years) served as the control group and received oral treatment for 8 weeks. Pain and psychological scores (pain self-efficacy, pain catastrophizing, and kinesiophobia) were measured and analyzed before and after 8 weeks of treatment in both groups. Results: In the RFA group, low back pain, buttock pain, and pain self-efficacy were significantly improved after 8 weeks of RFA exergaming, but there was no significant improvement in lower limb numbness, pain catastrophizing, or kinesiophobia. In the control group, no significant improvement was observed after 8 weeks of oral treatment. Conclusion: RFA exergaming increased pain self-efficacy and reduced pain in patients with chronic low back pain. Future treatment protocols should be developed to improve pain self-efficacy. Approval code: 2894, School of Medicine, Chiba University.

A meta-analysis of drinking game participation and alcohol-related outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: Research suggests that it is common for emerging adults in the U.S. and other countries to participate in a drinking game (DG). Playing DGs is associated with greater alcohol consumption and increased risk for experiencing alcohol-related harms. Gender differences in emerging adults' DG behavior and negative alcohol-related consequences have also been documented but the results have been mixed. We conducted the present meta-analysis in order to (a) quantify the association between DG participation and alcohol use and related consequences, and examine the moderating effect of gender and methodological factors on these associations, and (b) provide effect size estimates for power analyses for future DGs research. METHOD: 48 manuscripts, representing 31 independent samples, were included in the meta-analysis. RESULTS: We found medium effect sizes between DG participation and frequency of alcohol use (r = .47) and binge drinking (r = .50), quantity of alcohol use (r = .38) and consumption while playing DGs (r = .45), alcohol use (frequency × consumption index; r = .49), and alcohol-related consequences (r = .38). CONCLUSIONS: Playing DGs is associated with greater frequency of alcohol use, higher alcohol consumption, and more alcohol-related consequences. Findings also indicated that as the percentage of women in the sample increased, the association between DG participation and quantity of alcohol use strengthened. No gender moderation effect was found for the associations between DG participation and the other alcohol outcomes variables, which suggests that men and women who play DGs are equally at risk for experiencing alcohol-related consequences and may benefit from clinical attention. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Fostering early numerical competencies by playing conventional board games.

Recent evidence indicates that playing numerical board games is beneficial for the numerical development of preschoolers. However, board games used in these studies were often specifically developed for training numerical skills. Therefore, we examined whether similar beneficial effects could be observed for playing conventional board games such as Parcheesi. In an intervention study with seven 30-min training sessions over a period of 4 weeks, we observed that 4- to 6-year-old children (Mage = 4 years 11 months) who played conventional board games with traditional number dice (with dot faces numbered from one to six) benefitted more from the board games than children who played board games with color or non-numerical symbol dice. Pretest-posttest comparisons indicated differential effects on counting skills and the ability to recognize and use structures. Beyond these immediate training effects observed in posttest, the differential beneficial effects of playing board games using traditional dot dice on recognizing and using structures was still present in a follow-up test 1 year after the intervention. Thus, playing conventional board games using traditional number dice seems to be an effective low-threshold intervention to foster early numerical competencies.

The Effectiveness of a Serious Game Versus Online Lectures for Improving Medical Students' Coronavirus Disease 2019 Knowledge.

Objective: The sudden disruption of university teaching caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has forced universities to switch to online teaching. It is vital for graduating medical students to learn about COVID-19 because they are likely to treat COVID-19 patients after graduation. We developed a COVID-19 lesson for medical students that used either an online lecture or a serious game that we designed. The aim of this study is to explore the effectiveness of a serious game versus online lectures for improving medical students' COVID-19 knowledge. Materials and Methods: From our university's database of knowledge scores, we collected the prelesson, postlesson, and final test knowledge scores of the students who participated in the lesson and conducted a retrospective comparative analysis. Results: An analysis of scores concerning knowledge of COVID-19 from prelesson and postlesson tests shows that both teaching methods produce significant increases in short-term knowledge, with no statistical difference between the two methods (P > 0.05). The final test scores, however, show that the group of students who used the game-based computer application scored significantly higher in knowledge retention than did the online lecture group (P = 0.001). Conclusion: In the context of the disruption of traditional university teaching caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the serious game we designed is potentially an effective option for online medical education about COVID-19, particularly in terms of its capacity for improved knowledge retention.