A new board game have been launched to help young people explore difficult food-related topics.
The Food, Mood and Health Game is aimed at nine to 16 year olds and was developed by Focus Games, whose largest client is the NHS, in collaboration with Highland Council dietician David Rex and Fiona Clarke, a NHS Highland health improvement dietician.
Rex said: “We know that weight is a sensitive issue because of the societal stigma around size and obesity. This game has been designed to help teachers and pupils explore and critique messages about nutrition, and how this affects our mood and health.”
It is hoped that, in addition to classroom scenarios, the game will prove useful in more informal group settings, where it will help with communication and team-working skills. It has been piloted with primary and secondary pupils, in addition to community groups such as Girl Guides.
The face-to-face interaction required to play the game makes it an enjoyable and effective teaching tool, according to Focus Games. Scenario and question cards are used to stimulate discussion and debate among the players, developing valuable insights into how food affects physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.
The game’s designers hope that it will encourage an understanding of how food and nutrition effect mood, and help develop the use of a social rather than medical model of health.
Sample questions include ‘True or false: Healthy foods are always low in calories?’ and ‘If you haven’t eaten all day, how might you feel?’ Participants are also encouraged to discuss what they consider a healthy meal, and where they might buy the ingredients locally.
The Food, Mood and Health Game, which retails at around £100, joins other healthcare offerings from Focus Games, including Stop the Pressure and the Nutrition Game, which are part of the NHS England Stop the Pressure campaign against pressure ulcers.