The "STAR WARS: The First Jedi" Program-Effects of Gamification on Psychological Well-Being of College Students.

Background: College students are particularly susceptible to developing mental health problems. Gamification can be a powerful teaching strategy to favor motivation and behavioral changes for the improvement of psychological well-being. Purpose: To analyze the effect of a 14-week gamification-based physical education teaching program on psychological well-being of college students. Materials and Methods: A total of 112 college students (21.22 ± 2.55 years) were recruited and assigned to a gamification-based group or a control group. The intervention group participated in a gamification-based program under the framework of "STAR WARS" science fiction sage. Participants from this group used a mobile app with a countdown timer and the way for them to gain lifetime was by doing physical activity (PA) and formative challenges. The control group did not experience the gamification approach itself as their classes were based on traditional methodology. They were asked to maintain their usual lifestyle and were not required to do PA. Emotional intelligence, personal initiative, entrepreneurial attitude, resilience, and self-efficacy were self-reported. Results: The gamification-based group showed a significantly higher improvement of emotional intelligence (P ≤ 0.006), personal initiative (P ≤ 0.033), entrepreneurial attitude (P < 0.001), resilience (P = 0.002), and self-efficacy (P < 0.001), compared with the control group. Overall effect sizes were of medium magnitude for emotional intelligence and personal initiative, large magnitude for entrepreneurial attitude, and small magnitude for resilience and self-efficacy. Conclusion: Gamification and the use of mobile apps may become powerful teaching strategies to motivate college students toward healthier lifestyle behaviors that have psychological well-being benefits.

"STAR WARS: The first Jedi" Gamification Program: Use of a Mobile App to Improve Body Composition in College Students.

Background: There is a need to promote initiatives toward reaching more active and healthier lifestyles. Gamification has emerged among teachers as a powerful teaching strategy that favors students' motivation and behavioral change by applying game elements in nongame contexts. Purpose: To examine the effects of a 14-week gamification-based teaching program, including the use of a game-based mobile app on body composition in college students. Materials and Methods: One hundred twelve college students (21.22 ± 2.55 years) were assigned to a gamification-based group or a control group. College students from the intervention group participated in a gamification program under the narrative of "STAR WARS" and had a mobile app with a countdown timer. They had to meet physical activity recommendations to gain lifetime (i.e., sum time to the countdown). A portable eight-polar bioelectrical impedance analysis was used to obtain body composition outcomes; height (cm) was measured with a stadiometer; and waist circumference (cm) was measured using a metric tape. Body mass index (BMI), muscle mass index, fat mass index, and body fat percentage were computed. Results: Participants from the gamification program reported a significantly lower BMI, waist circumference, fat mass index and body fat percentage after the intervention, in comparison with the control group, indicated by an effect size ranging from -0.23 to -0.11 (all P ≤ 0.043). Conclusion: Gamification and the use of interactive mobile app are powerful teaching strategies in higher education to motivate students toward healthier lifestyles that lead to body composition benefits.

Association of objectively measured physical activity and sedentary time with arterial stiffness in women with systemic lupus erythematosus with mild disease activity.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the association of objectively measured physical activity (PA) intensity levels and sedentary time with arterial stiffness in women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with mild disease activity and to analyze whether participants meeting the international PA guidelines have lower arterial stiffness than those not meeting the PA guidelines. METHODS: The study comprised 47 women with SLE (average age 41.2 [standard deviation 13.9]) years, with clinical and treatment stability during the 6 months prior to the study. PA intensity levels and sedentary time were objectively measured with triaxial accelerometry. Arterial stiffness was assessed through pulse wave velocity, evaluated by Mobil-O-Graph® 24h pulse wave analysis monitor. RESULTS: The average time in moderate to vigorous PA in bouts of ≥10 consecutive minutes was 135.1±151.8 minutes per week. There was no association of PA intensity levels and sedentary time with arterial stiffness, either in crude analyses or after adjusting for potential confounders. Participants who met the international PA guidelines did not show lower pulse wave velocity than those not meeting them (b = -0.169; 95% CI: -0.480 to 0.143; P = 0.280). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that PA intensity levels and sedentary time are not associated with arterial stiffness in patients with SLE. Further analyses revealed that patients with SLE meeting international PA guidelines did not present lower arterial stiffness than those not meeting the PA guidelines. Future prospective research is needed to better understand the association of PA and sedentary time with arterial stiffness in patients with SLE.