A validation of a dietary guided educational game to diabetes mellitus patients

Abstract

This study aimed to validate a dietary guided educational game to diabetes mellitus patients considering objectiveness, arrangement, presentation and relevance. The trinary system corresponding to content, criteria and construct was adopted. This study was applied in April and May 2007 at Centro Integrado de Diabetes e Hipertensão (CIDH), a component of Fortaleza’s health care system. Seven people acting as moderators (two nurses, three nutritionists, one physician, and one pedagogue) and 56 players were participants. Data concerning to moderators profile and their perception about the game was obtained through a questionnaire to be answered after the game kit analysis. The kit consisted of rules, game pieces, and instructions to the validation process. The players profile and their perception concerning to the game were acquired through and interview performed before and after the game application. The final analysis presented by the moderators and players led to game validation. However, the validation process is endless considering constant improvement and temporal individual variation prospects. We expect the knowledge gotten by means of the game regarding to food intake could lead to a better nutritional plan.