{"id":{"repo_id":"columbia-diss","oai_identifier":"oai:academiccommons.columbia.edu:10.7916/D8794BWM"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/columbia-diss/oai:academiccommons.columbia.edu:10.7916/D8794BWM","repository":{"repo_id":"columbia-diss","name":"Columbia University","base_url":"https://academiccommons.columbia.edu/oai"},"display":{"title":"Evaluation of Creature -101: Can A Curriculum Based Serious Health Game Promote Healthy Eating and Physical Activity among Middle School Students?","abstract":"The purpose of this research is to evaluate the outcomes of playing a virtual reality serious game \"Creature-101\" at increasing fruits and vegetables, water, physical activity, decreasing processed snacks (e.g. chips, candy), sweetened beverages, and recreational screen time, and mediators of behavior change (behavioral capability, self-efficacy, outcome expectation-social and physical, autonomous motivation). The Creature-101 game uses social cognitive and self-determination theories as framework and incorporates \"creature care\" in a virtual world \"Tween\". Students learn scientific evidence that promote energy balance by playing mini-games, short educational videos, slideshows and interactive dialogues with game characters. Students also assess their own behaviors; create own \"real life\" food and activity goals, and report their progress. The study used a pre-post matched pair intervention and control design with 590 students (65% Hispanics, 50% male, age 11-13yrs). In the intervention condition 359 students played Creature-101 in classroom 2 days/week for 1month (7sessions-30 minutes each). Two self-reported online surveys administered at baseline and immediately after intervention measured frequency and amounts of the targeted behaviors, and mediators of behavior change. Analysis of covariance compared post-test means between groups. Students in the intervention group reported significant decrease in frequency of consumption of processed packaged snacks (I=1.79±1.22, C=2.14±1.37, p-value<0.000) and increase in behavioral capability (I=5.06±3.91, C=4.06± 1.43, p=0.12). Students also reported positive trends in consuming fewer sweetened beverages (I=1.72±1.12, C=1.95±1.16, p=0.082), smaller sizes of sweetened beverages (I=1.46±0.88, C=1.65±0.93, p=0.098) and processed snacks (I=1.46±0.88, C=1.65±0.93, p=0.098). Creature-101 is encouraging as a means to promote diet and physical activity behaviors in children.","abstract_html":"The purpose of this research is to evaluate the outcomes of playing a virtual reality serious game &quot;Creature-101&quot; at increasing fruits and vegetables, water, physical activity, decreasing processed snacks (e.g. chips, candy), sweetened beverages, and recreational screen time, and mediators of behavior change (behavioral capability, self-efficacy, outcome expectation-social and physical, autonomous motivation). The Creature-101 game uses social cognitive and self-determination theories as framework and incorporates &quot;creature care&quot; in a virtual world &quot;Tween&quot;. Students learn scientific evidence that promote energy balance by playing mini-games, short educational videos, slideshows and interactive dialogues with game characters. Students also assess their own behaviors; create own &quot;real life&quot; food and activity goals, and report their progress. The study used a pre-post matched pair intervention and control design with 590 students (65% Hispanics, 50% male, age 11-13yrs). In the intervention condition 359 students played Creature-101 in classroom 2 days/week for 1month (7sessions-30 minutes each). Two self-reported online surveys administered at baseline and immediately after intervention measured frequency and amounts of the targeted behaviors, and mediators of behavior change. Analysis of covariance compared post-test means between groups. Students in the intervention group reported significant decrease in frequency of consumption of processed packaged snacks (I=1.79±1.22, C=2.14±1.37, p-value&lt;0.000) and increase in behavioral capability (I=5.06±3.91, C=4.06± 1.43, p=0.12). Students also reported positive trends in consuming fewer sweetened beverages (I=1.72±1.12, C=1.95±1.16, p=0.082), smaller sizes of sweetened beverages (I=1.46±0.88, C=1.65±0.93, p=0.098) and processed snacks (I=1.46±0.88, C=1.65±0.93, p=0.098). Creature-101 is encouraging as a means to promote diet and physical activity behaviors in children.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Majumdar, Dalia"],"institution":null,"degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2013,"date_issued":"2013","date_published":"2013","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:44:25Z","subjects":["Nutrition","School children--Nutrition","Exercise for children--Health aspects","Educational games","Middle school students"],"languages":["English"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://doi.org/10.7916/D8794BWM","outbound_label":"DOI","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Majumdar, Dalia"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2013"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Theses"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Nutrition","School children--Nutrition","Exercise for children--Health aspects","Educational games","Middle school students"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["English"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://doi.org/10.7916/D8794BWM"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["The purpose of this research is to evaluate the outcomes of playing a virtual reality serious game \"Creature-101\" at increasing fruits and vegetables, water, physical activity, decreasing processed snacks (e.g. chips, candy), sweetened beverages, and recreational screen time, and mediators of behavior change (behavioral capability, self-efficacy, outcome expectation-social and physical, autonomous motivation). The Creature-101 game uses social cognitive and self-determination theories as framework and incorporates \"creature care\" in a virtual world \"Tween\". Students learn scientific evidence that promote energy balance by playing mini-games, short educational videos, slideshows and interactive dialogues with game characters. Students also assess their own behaviors; create own \"real life\" food and activity goals, and report their progress. The study used a pre-post matched pair intervention and control design with 590 students (65% Hispanics, 50% male, age 11-13yrs). In the intervention condition 359 students played Creature-101 in classroom 2 days/week for 1month (7sessions-30 minutes each). Two self-reported online surveys administered at baseline and immediately after intervention measured frequency and amounts of the targeted behaviors, and mediators of behavior change. Analysis of covariance compared post-test means between groups. Students in the intervention group reported significant decrease in frequency of consumption of processed packaged snacks (I=1.79±1.22, C=2.14±1.37, p-value<0.000) and increase in behavioral capability (I=5.06±3.91, C=4.06± 1.43, p=0.12). Students also reported positive trends in consuming fewer sweetened beverages (I=1.72±1.12, C=1.95±1.16, p=0.082), smaller sizes of sweetened beverages (I=1.46±0.88, C=1.65±0.93, p=0.098) and processed snacks (I=1.46±0.88, C=1.65±0.93, p=0.098). Creature-101 is encouraging as a means to promote diet and physical activity behaviors in children."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Evaluation of Creature -101: Can A Curriculum Based Serious Health Game Promote Healthy Eating and Physical Activity among Middle School Students?"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Majumdar, Dalia"],"dc:date":["2013"],"dc:description":["The purpose of this research is to evaluate the outcomes of playing a virtual reality serious game \"Creature-101\" at increasing fruits and vegetables, water, physical activity, decreasing processed snacks (e.g. chips, candy), sweetened beverages, and recreational screen time, and mediators of behavior change (behavioral capability, self-efficacy, outcome expectation-social and physical, autonomous motivation). The Creature-101 game uses social cognitive and self-determination theories as framework and incorporates \"creature care\" in a virtual world \"Tween\". Students learn scientific evidence that promote energy balance by playing mini-games, short educational videos, slideshows and interactive dialogues with game characters. Students also assess their own behaviors; create own \"real life\" food and activity goals, and report their progress. The study used a pre-post matched pair intervention and control design with 590 students (65% Hispanics, 50% male, age 11-13yrs). In the intervention condition 359 students played Creature-101 in classroom 2 days/week for 1month (7sessions-30 minutes each). Two self-reported online surveys administered at baseline and immediately after intervention measured frequency and amounts of the targeted behaviors, and mediators of behavior change. Analysis of covariance compared post-test means between groups. Students in the intervention group reported significant decrease in frequency of consumption of processed packaged snacks (I=1.79±1.22, C=2.14±1.37, p-value<0.000) and increase in behavioral capability (I=5.06±3.91, C=4.06± 1.43, p=0.12). Students also reported positive trends in consuming fewer sweetened beverages (I=1.72±1.12, C=1.95±1.16, p=0.082), smaller sizes of sweetened beverages (I=1.46±0.88, C=1.65±0.93, p=0.098) and processed snacks (I=1.46±0.88, C=1.65±0.93, p=0.098). Creature-101 is encouraging as a means to promote diet and physical activity behaviors in children."],"dc:identifier":["https://doi.org/10.7916/D8794BWM"],"dc:language":["English"],"dc:subject":["Nutrition","School children--Nutrition","Exercise for children--Health aspects","Educational games","Middle school students"],"dc:title":["Evaluation of Creature -101: Can A Curriculum Based Serious Health Game Promote Healthy Eating and Physical Activity among Middle School Students?"],"dc:type":["Theses"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:44:25Z"}