Gamification Of Step Count Leads To More Activity In Diabetes-Focused Study

Gamification has become an increasingly popular strategy for promoting healthy behaviors from medication adherence to chronic condition management.

A new study published in JAMA Network examined the effectiveness of gamification in promoting physical activity and weight loss among adults with uncontrolled Type 2 diabetes.

"Gamification is commonly used in wellness programs and smartphone apps, but often is not designed to incorporate insights on how people behave and have not been well-tested over longer periods," Dr. Mitesh Patel, the director of Penn Medicine's Nudge Unit and the lead author of the study, said in a statement. 

The one-year intervention gave participants a wearable, electronic step counter and an electronic scale, both from Withings, and randomly separated them into four arms – one control group and three gamification groups.