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Tackling type 2 diabetes isn\u2019t always fun. You\u2019re told to eat food you don\u2019t like, to exercise more than you want to, and to lose weight that simply doesn\u2019t want to go.<\/p>\nTackling type 2 diabetes isn\u2019t always fun. You\u2019re told to eat food you don\u2019t like, to exercise more than you want to, and to lose weight that simply doesn\u2019t want to go.<\/p>\n
But a new study published in JAMA Network Open<\/em> reveals a simple game that tackles the source of type 2 diabetes.<\/p>\n In the past, many studies concluded that diabetes could be treated by an increase in physical activity as it boosts diabetics\u2019 sensitivity to insulin, which in turn lowers their blood sugar.<\/p>\n Because people respond well when they have concrete goals and an exciting way to meet them, a research team from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia decided to investigate whether a wearable step counter together with some game-playing centered on behavioral principles could increase the participants\u2019 number of daily steps.<\/p>\n Their 361 subjects were all obese and had diabetes. They were divided into four groups.<\/p>\n The first was a control group that received a step counter and scales to measure their daily steps and weight.<\/p>\n The other three groups were given the same equipment but were also provided with goals for their number of daily steps, weight, and blood sugar. <\/p>\n For these three groups, the researchers also designed a game whereby they could accumulate points and move up levels.<\/p>\n The three game-playing groups had their challenges designed around either competition, collaboration, or social support.<\/p>\n In the competition group, subjects were divided into smaller sets of three who were notified of each other\u2019s weekly achievements.<\/p>\n In the collaboration group, subjects were also divided into smaller sets of three. Each day, one team member represented each group and tried to score points on their behalf.<\/p>\n In the social support group, each subject selected someone outside the study who received daily updates on their progress and could motivate them.<\/p>\n Members of all four groups improved their daily step counts during the 12 months of the study, lost some weight, and reduced their blood sugar.<\/p>\n Compared with the non-game-playing group, the competition and social support groups took 606 and 503 more daily steps, respectively. The collaboration group also took 280 more steps than the non-gamers, but the finding was not strong enough for the researchers to conclude that it was due to the collaboration rather than simply being due to chance.<\/p>\n