RT journal article
T1 Gamified eHealth interventions for health promotion and disease prevention in children and adolescents: A scoping review
A1 Bas Sarmiento, María del Pilar
A1 Julián López, Carmen
A1 Fernández Gutiérrez, Martina
A1 Poza Méndez, Miriam
A1 Marín Paz, Antonio Jesús
A2 Enfermería y Fisioterapia
K1 Adolescent
K1 Children
K1 eHealth
K1 Gamification
K1 Health promotion
K1 Scoping review
AB Gamification, defined as the introduction of game elements in nongame contexts, has shown potential for addressing disease prevention and health promotion through new technologies. The aim of this study was to identify and describe gamified eHealth interventions for health promotion and disease prevention in children and adolescents, the theoretical frameworks that support or endorse these interventions and the key attributes of games with evidence of their effectiveness. We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). The search was carried out in the PubMed, Scopus, and Science Direct databases. Related data were extracted on the basis of the research questions, and a qualitative content analysis was conducted. We retrieved 930 records, 26 of which met the eligibility criteria, and 15 studies were ultimately analysed. Most of the gamified interventions were based on the implementation of mobile health applications or video games. A high percentage of studies (80%) demonstrated the effectiveness of gamification, which improved the health-related knowledge, motivation, and attitude outcomes of the participants in the intervention group. The theoretical models underpinning the studies were reported in only 40% of the studies. The attributes of game evaluation, conflict/challenge, and rules/goals were included in all the studies analysed and were related mainly to extrinsic motivation. Despite promising results on the use of gamification in the paediatric population, more research is still needed to validate the theoretical models and consolidate the evidence. Gamification should be based on a motivational theoretical model in which the intrinsic motivation of participants is accounted for.
PB Nature
YR 2025
FD 2025-03-20
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/35969
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/35969
LA eng
NO University Research Institute for Sustainable Social Development (INDESS)
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 08-nov-2026