Högskolan i Skövde

Today non-communicable diseases (NCD) are the main drivers of morbidity, disability, and mortality in low- and middle-income countries, and are expected to increase due to unhealthy lifestyles in the wake of ongoing societal changes. In Nepal, heart disease is the most common NCD, causing a majority of the country’s hospitalizations.

Previous research found that this issue stems from a lack of information regarding nutrition and healthy activities. Our project initially mapped out the details of this knowledge gap by producing a Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice report based on field studies conducted in Nepal. Based on this report, we have created a mobile serious game - Happy Heart - that aims to fill the identified gaps by providing information, but also by presenting it in a way that we hope changes peoples’ attitudes towards healthy lifestyles. The game presents four main challenges: identifying and categorizing food items based on nutrition, preparing healthy meals, and planning a healthy weekly calendar.

The project is a collaboration between the University of Skövde (Sweden), Kathmandu Medical College, and Patan Academy of Health Sciences (Nepal).