Optimising the FOOD FIT Online Game App to Promote the Acquisition of Skills and Knowledge in Nutrition and Healthy Food Choice Behaviours Among Users

Dr Sally Moore, Faculty of Environment, School of Food Science and Nutrition

Knowledge Exchange Fellowships

The project will enable University Practitioners/academics to apply the current evidence-base in the areas of nutrition/food labelling and game-based learning technologies whilst working in partnership with developers to optimise the game App “Fit Food”. The aim of the project is to help improve the learning power and impact of the “Fit Food” App, which seeks to increase consumers’ understanding of healthy foods and empower their use of nutrition label information on food packaging.

The Fit Food game app engages players (including children, families and consumers) in considering the actual “healthiness” and nutrient content of foods, and actively compares real-life products. Such learning clearly supports recent UK policy to reduce obesity and the risks associated with COVID -19 infection, including initiatives to mandate food labelling and ban “junk” food advertising seen by children (Department of Health and Social Care, 2020a).

By encompassing other public health organisations as collaborators, including Leeds City Council and a major UK Health Care Professional body (the UK British Dietetic Association) the project aims to improve the specific relevance of the game to two user-groups; UK families with children and Health Care Professionals as patient educators. Furthermore, these collaborator relationships will help realise the potential and reach/dissemination of the game and support the undertaking of future primary research to assess the game’s impact on public health and food choices.

Dr Sally Moore can be contacted by email: S.Moore2@leeds.ac.uk