Giving Compass' Take: 

• The authors report on a new study that investigates how gamification in nutrition can help Nigerian youth eat more fruits and vegetables. 

• Can gamification tactics be used in other areas of need?

• Read more about the nutrition problem and improving food security in Nigeria. 


The worsening of dietary habits among youth appears to have no geographical bounds. And improving dietary behavior has become a critical public health challenge around the globe.

This is especially true in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where we have seen a rapid transition from wholesome traditional diets to a more Western diet consisting of foods high in sugar, saturated fat and salt. This trend – generally referred to as the nutrition transition – has imposed a double burden of diet-related chronic diseases in SSA, a place where malnutrition and obesity now coexist.

With the exception of South Africa, where over 40 percent of the adult population is now overweight or obese, most countries in SSA are still in the early stages of the nutrition transition.

This offers a window of opportunity to learn from other countries and take proactive steps to intervene at earlier ages and lessen the harm to the health of the population. I have just published the results of a new study that documents the effectiveness of a nutrition gamification program – Nutrido – in improving dietary behavior among youth in Abuja, Nigeria.

How do I get youth to eat more fruits and vegetables and less junk food?

Looking at how we could bring this concept to the sub-Saharan African context, our teams in Abuja and Toronto came together to develop a gamification program (Nutrido) tailored for adolescents. It consists of a nutrition board game, student clubs and vouchers that are redeemable for fruits and veggies.

Importantly, we found that the game improved eating behavior, specifically the intake of fruits and vegetables. One student said: “I used to skip fruits sometimes, like give it out, but now, I take my fruits.”

Read the full article about nutrition gamification in Nigeria by Obidimma Ezezika at News Deeply