Background: In a healthy diet, one's water consumption is crucial in order to maintain our bodieswater level consisting of approximately two thirds of water. Previous studies show that youngadults seem to not reach the recommended total water consumption daily, leaving them at therisk of dehydration which in turn increases the risk of chronic diseases. Drinking more water, andeating breakfast regularly could decrease this risk and have a healthy impact on young adults.Gamification is a broad concept that utilizes game elements in contexts where otherwise few orno game elements are used. It is known to increase knowledge and awareness in a wide varietyof contexts through storytelling and games, however it is not fully clear on its potential onimpacting behavior change and habit formation, such as drinking more water or eating breakfaston a regular basis. Purpose: The main purpose of this thesis is to explain how gamification can be utilized in orderto improve young adults dietary habits. Methodology: This research is conducted through a quantitative approach, with a broad researchquestion and two more focused, measurable hypotheses. Findings: This thesis found through the collected data that no difference was seen during thestudied period, and therefore was unable to support the hypotheses made being: “H1:Gamification will increase direct daily water consumption”, “H2: Gamification will increase howoften young adults eat breakfast in the morning”. Despite this, it found aspects from gamificationthat were useful and likable by the participants, as well as aspects that weren't as appreciated andless effective. Laying a good foundation for future research on what is likely to succeed or fail ina similar context. Conclusion: Gamification in this context did not have any significant impact on young adultsdietary habits. Having to self record on a daily basis seems to have minimized this potential andwas somewhat tedious. Future research should find alternative ways for this, letting the user setpersonal goals, have more personalisation in the app, and most importantly not having to recordtheir dietary habits every day. The most likable gamification elements of the app was found to bethe leaderboard and levels/xp.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:lnu-131288 |
| Date | January 2024 |
| Creators | Linderoth, Sven |
| Publisher | Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för datavetenskap och medieteknik (DM), Linnéuniversitetet (Växjö) |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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