Abstract:

The use of serious games can be a powerful strategy for health education for children, since playing is part of their routine. Considering the use of digital games by children, it is believed that it has potential for changing behavior of this population, particularly with regard to childhood obesity. The objective of this study was to identify what exists in the scientific literature on the use of serious games as a strategy for prevention or treatment of childhood obesity through an integrative literature review. For the selection of articles the following databases were used: PUBMED, Web of Science, Science Direct and CINAHL. The inclusion criteria established were: articles in English, Spanish and Portuguese and published in the last 5 years. Secondary publications such as review articles, books, monographs, theses and dissertations were excluded. The initial search in the databases resulted in 3343 studies and 9 studies were elected for detailed analysis. The studies showed that the use of serious games for health promotion could reflect positively on children's health as well as promote behavior change and encourage healthier habits. It is worth mentioning that in most of the studies analyzed the authors developed the game itself and presented it in an already functional way, aiming at the validation of the game in clinical practice and its application as an educational intervention. Finally, there is a gap when it comes to Latin American publications, as there were few publications of these locations in the initial search and not any left in the final selection.

Keywords:

Pediatric Nursing, Obesity, Medical Informatics, Video Games.