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Community Challenge #5: The Texas Obesity Research Center in Second Life05.28.08 |
Name: The Texas Obesity Research Center in Second Life (Click to read original proposal)
Description
The goal of this project is to extend the RL mission, goals and activities of the Texas Obesity Research Center (TORC) of the University of Houston (UH) into Second Life (SL). Obesity affects one in three Americans and has become a global epidemic in all industrialized societies (cf. http://www.iuns.org/features/obesity/tabfig.htm#Figure%201:), eclipsing worldwide hunger and many infectious diseases. The obesity epidemic is primarily attributed to lifestyle and environmental changes that have occurred in the industrialized world in the last 3 decades, and is largely preventable with early and broad based intervention efforts. Second Life is global, an ideal setting to reach international audiences who are Real Life (RL) residents of industrialized communities at high risk of obesity. SL provides a unique opportunity to increase knowledge, social support and behavioral skills necessary to reduce or prevent obesity with much broader reach than traditional face to face intervention strategies. SL residents enjoy RL anonymity, reducing risk of judgment or persecution experienced in RL. Further, virtual communities provide the same sense of community as RL communities, fostering sense of membership, influence, needs fulfillment, and shared emotional connection that is vital in order to prevent and reduce the epidemic burden of obesity.
What is the scope of your endeavor and what would you most like to accomplish?
This project will extend the TORC from RL to SL by increasing awareness, knowledge, skills and support for healthful living to reduce the burden of obesity. We aim to begin to reach not only a US national population of residents, but also an international population by developing Spanish and French language resources based on our existing research collaborations in RL in Canada, Mexico and Switzerland. To kick off our effort, we will begin with a multi country Healthy Weight Challenge. Residents who visit the TORC can affiliate with any one of our four collaborative countries to log their health habits and weight status. The country that has the most improvement over time will be declared the winner.
We will adapt games and activities used in our RL interventions to improve health knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to prevent and reduce obesity. Accurate scores on games and participation in activities will be incentivized with Lindens to increase participation. We will provide group membership for people who are interested in learning about healthy habits and obesity prevention and control to promote social connectedness around healthful living. The information from this project will be used for future grant applications to continue to expand initial efforts.
"Final Impressions from Texas Obesity Research Center in Second Life"
This expansion project under the direction of Dr. Rebecca Lee of the University of Houston in Second Life has promoted an active health survey in multiple languages, an International Health Challenge, and other educational and motivational tools to help reduce obesity.
Participants are asked to complete a 28-day healthy challenge that includes journal writing, physical activity and fruit and vegetable log. Incentives for completion in the project include Linden awards for indicated milestones.
Currently there are 35 participants in the International Health Challenge and with both in-world and real-life recruitment after the holiday break, increased numbers are anticipated.
This project continues through 2009 when participants will be completing the entire project and recruiters will have become increasingly more proficient.
For more details visit Texas Obesity Research Center SLurl