2. rationale Fizzees - “ Child obesity has doubled in a decade. Junk food and lack of exercise have created 'public health time-bomb'.” The Guardian Newspaper (22 April 2006) Research evidence: young people aged 2 - 19 * 40% boys and 60% of girls are doing less than 1 hours moderate exercise per day * 1/5 of boys and ¼ of girls are overweight or obese * The prevalence of obesity almost doubled among boys and increased by over a half among girls between 1995 and 2002. * One in 10 six-year-olds is obese . The total number of obese children has doubled since 1982. On present trends half of all children in England in 2020 could be obese . EU Platform on Diet, Physical Activity and Health, 2005 Forecasting Obesity to 2006. DoH 2006
3. aims To encourage 8-12 year olds to be more physically active and develop and a greater understanding of the constituent parts of a ‘healthy lifestyle’ Fizzees - … applied understanding …
4. what is it? * Accurate, personal health data * Easily interpretable data (Fizzee’s maturation and appearance) * Always on, ‘situated learning’ game * Individual, motivating, encouraging, informative … applied understanding Fizzees - A wearable technology that is a combination of dual sensor, processor, battery and screen. The screen shows a virtual pet (a Fizzee) that the young person is responsible for. The Fizzee’s maturation and health depends upon the actions of the young person . A website for further investigation, games, and comparisons
5. Fitting physical activity into current lifestyles in relation to research into patterns of behaviour change. why this approach? * play video games (immersive, empathetic, motivational) * nurture virtual pets (Tamagotchi etc) * compete, compare and share with peers * aspectual shape (game, learning tool, digital pet) Fizzees - … applied understanding …
6. how it works Activity levels are monitored through a heart rate monitor and accelerometer, which have a direct impact on the Fizzee displayed on a wrist-worn device Fizzees - * Privileging the interplay between the dual sensors * Rewards for particular activity types, frequency, exertion etc * Rewards rest and a ‘dose response’ stops over-training Accelerometer Heart rate Factor Mod Low X1 Mod Mod X1 Mod Vig X1.5 Mod V Vig X2
7. scoring Fizzees - * Based upon guidance from the UK Chief Medical Officer on recommended amounts of exercise for young people * Developed with UoB’s Department of Exercise and Health Sciences Governing principles * Based on personal, accurate health data * Personal calibration of equipment * Dual sensors for more accurate reading * Privileging the interplay between sensors * Discounting stress and excitement as signifiers of activity * Relationship between data becomes a factor in the scoring system * Programmable system
10. A Fizzee (Physical Electronic Energiser) is a wearable technology that enables young people to care for a digital pet through their own physical actions . In order to nurture their digital pet, keep it healthy and grow, young people must themselves act in physically healthy ways . A dual sensor (heart rate and accelerometer) measures young people’s physical activity and converts it into the appearance and maturation of their Fizzee. The Fizzees’ health is modelled on the Chief Medical Officer’s recommendations for healthy activity for young people. Children are then driven to a web space to share ideas and tips for keeping their Fizzee healthy, to play games with their Fizzee (where the healthier their Fizzee is, the better it can perform) and to further investigate their own personal health data. A Fizzee is a toy , a learning device and a digital pet that links children’s real world activities with the virtual world .