Using photovoice and whole body video games to promote physical activity and healthy nutrition across the lifespan

Background: Urban families, especially adolescents and their older adult relatives, are especially prone to sedentary lifestyles and underexposed to health information and practices. Photovoice is the purposeful use of visual images to tell a health-related story. Physical activity modalities such as whole body video games may aid urban adults in staying active to promote cardiovascular health and balance to reduce falls, the leading cause of injury-related deaths in Wisconsin. Purpose: Enhance young adult's capacity to relate healthy lifestyle practices to older adults through interactive experiences and the development of photovoice.

Methods: Project partners developed curricula along with quantitative assessment and qualitative survey instruments. The convenience sample (n=24; age range 18-27) received a four-week (12-hours total) training program on lifespan physical activity, nutrition, and development of photovoice. Participants engaged in whole body physical activity with video games and developed photovoices; older adult (n=24; age range 54-84) relatives served as photovoice models, reviewed and evaluated projects.

Results: Participants were highly engaged in training (e.g., attendance >85%) and rated high program satisfaction, especially in physical activity features and comfort with educational methods. Post-program improvements in knowledge and skills were significantly higher for participants (p<.001). Results suggest that older adults increased their knowledge of healthy lifestyle practices and reported high satisfaction with the educational materials.

Conclusion/Discussion: An intergenerational lifespan physical activity and nutrition initiative capitalizing on innovative instructional methods, which utilize technology, targeted discussion, and cost-effective means for providing health information to underserved populations, may be effective. Implications for practitioners and researchers are discussed.