Hyerang Kim1,2, Jae‐Heon Kang3, Hyn Ah Park3, Soo Hyun Cho4, Sohye Jeon5, Ji‐hye Jung6, Eunju Sung1

1Department of Family Medicine, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea 2Medical Research Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea 3Department of Family Medicine, Seoul Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea 4Department of Family Medicine, Chung-Ang University Hospital, Chung-Ang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea 5Korea Testing Certification, Seoul, Korea 6Institute for Clinical Nutrition, Inje University, Seoul, Korea


Background: There have been many efforts to rectify lifestyles that contribute to obesity using a variety of methodologies in heterogeneous settings, but effective and sustainable interventions that are suitable for children are still needed. We developed a smartphone application called “HAPPY ME” for guiding health behavior decisions, which employs gamification and self-monitoring strategies. The aim of this paper is to outline the rationale and methods for the development and feasibility test of “HAPPY ME”.
Methods: The study consisted of two phases: 1) description of theory-based conceptual framework and rationales for smartphone application development and 2) outline of a pre- and post-test design in 4th-6th grade of healthy elementary school students for 4 weeks. The students will be delivered missions or messages on a daily basis, which is to stretch the knowledge and skills for action. They will simultaneously be engaged in self-monitoring their eating and physical activities to clear daily quests. To measure acceptability and feasibility we will monitor usability, compliance, and satisfaction for a 4-week study period and evaluate the intervention effects on self-efficacy, readiness, and intention to engage in healthy behavior.
Conclusions: The results of the feasibility study will show whether the smartphone application “HAPPY ME” for children is acceptable, as well as if it is usable and feasible for self-directed health management. The results will provide preliminary evidence of the effectiveness of smartphone application-supported child behavioral modification for child obesity prevention and management.
Korean J Health Promot 2015;15(4):194-201

Keywords: Behavioral change, Child obesity, Gamification, Smartphone application