Automated and unobtrusive measurement of physical activity in an interactive playground

© 2019 Promoting physical activity is one of the main goals of interactive playgrounds. To validate whether this goal is met, we need to measure the amount of physical player activity. Traditional methods of measuring activity, such as observations or annotations of game sessions, require time and personnel. Others, such as heart rate monitors and accelerometers, need to be worn by the player. In this paper, we investigate whether physical activity can be measured unobtrusively by tracking players using depth cameras and applying computer vision algorithms. In a user study with 32 players, we measure the players’ speed while playing a game of tag, and demonstrate that our measures correlate well with exertion measured using heart rate sensors. This makes the method an attractive alternative to either manual coding or the use of worn devices. We also compare our approach to other exertion measurement methods. Finally, we demonstrate and discuss its potential for automated, unobtrusive measurements and real-time game adaptation

Digital health applications in rehabilitation: Adherence and motivation by gamification

Bei der Entwicklung Digitaler Gesundheitsanwendungen (DiGA) sind eine Reihe rechtlicher, finanzieller und qualitativer Rahmenbedingungen zu berücksichtigen. Hinzu kommen organisatorische und technische Anforderungen zur Einbindung einer DiGA in Versorgungsprozesse. In Rehabilitationsprozessen spielt die Therapieadhärenz der Patienten eine wesentliche Rolle. Wie bereits vergangene Studien gezeigt haben, können diese durch den Einsatz von Spiel-Design-Elementen gesteigert werden. Die Auswahl, Kombination und das Design einzelner Spiele-Komponenten wirkt jedoch oftmals unüberlegt. Das Ziel dieser Dissertation ist es, einen ganzheitlichen Ansatz zur Entwicklung und Verbesserung von DiGA für die Rehabilitation zum Zweck der Adhärenzsteigerung durch Gamification zu erstellen und in der Praxis zu erproben. Um den Realitätsbezug des Ansatzes zu sichern, wurde das Krankheitsbild der Schulterläsionen als Anwendungsbeispiel genutzt. In acht Ebenen erfolgte die systematische Entwicklung des GISMOR-Ansatzes – ‘Gamification Increasing Motivation for Rehabilitation’. GISMOR unterstützt sowohl bei der Identifikation potentieller Adhärenzfaktoren (Patientenebene) als auch bei der adäquaten auf die Zielgruppe ausgerichteten Auswahl, Kombination und Umsetzung von Spiel-Design-Elementen (Gamificationebene). Dabei legt GISMOR besonderen Wert auf die Interaktion zwischen der DiGA und dem Patienten und stellt damit nicht nur die interaktive und visuelle Gestaltung des User Interface in den Vordergrund, sondern auch die resultierende User Experience (Interaktionsebene). Darüber hinaus gibt GISMOR den rechtlichen, finanziellen und qualitativen Rahmen für die Umsetzung abrechnungsfähiger DiGA vor (Dienstleistungsebene). Für den erfolgreichen Einsatz von DiGA liefert GISMOR weiterhin Anhaltspunkte zur Einbindung dieser in Rehabilitationsprozesse (Prozessebene) sowie zur Integration in transinstitutionelle Informationssystemarchitekturen (Informationssystemebene). Über den Anwendungsleitfaden zu GISMOR wird der entwickelte Ansatz schließlich in der Praxis einsetzbar. Als eigenständiges Dokument dient der Anwendungsleitfaden Softwareentwicklern, Medizininformatikern und Gesundheitsversorgern als Handlungshilfe zur Entwicklung und Verbesserung von DiGA sowie Medizinischen Assistenzsystemen. Am Beispiel des Telerehabilitationssystems AGT-Reha konnte dabei gezeigt werden, dass GISMOR sowohl für die Analyse als auch Ausarbeitung konkreter Maßnahmen zur Verbesserung einer DiGA geeignet ist.A number of legal, financial, and qualitative constraints must be considered in developing operational and billable digital health applications (DiGA). Furthermore, there are organizational and technical requirements for integrating DiGAs into care processes. In rehabilitation processes, patients' motivation and adherence are essential factors as well. Past studies have already shown that these can be increased through the use of game design elements. However, the selection, combination, and design of game components often seems rash. The objective of this thesis is to design and evaluate a holistic approach for developing and improving DiGAs in rehabilitation for the purpose of increasing motivation and adherence through gamification. Shoulder lesions were used as a consistent application example. The systematic development of GISMOR – ‘Gamification Increasing Motivation for Rehabilitation’ – was done in eight tiers. GISMOR supports both the identification of potential adherence factors (patient tier) and the adequate selection, combination, and implementation of game design elements aligned with the target group (gamification tier). GISMOR emphasizes the interaction between a DiGA and the patient, thus focusing not only on the interactive and visual design of the user interface, but also on the resulting user experience (interaction tier). In addition, GISMOR provides a legal, financial and qualitative framework for the implementation of billable DiGAs (service tier). For the successful use of DiGAs, GISMOR continues to provide guidance on how to embed them in rehabilitation processes (process tier) and how to integrate them into transinstitutional information system architectures (information system tier). By means of the GISMOR guide for use, the developed approach will finally be applicable in practice. As a stand-alone document, the User Guide serves software developers, medical informaticians, and healthcare providers as a reference for action in the development and improvement of DiGAs and Medical Assistance Systems. Using the telerehabilitation system AGT-Reha as an example, it could be shown that GISMOR is suitable for both the analysis and the development of concrete measures for the improvement of a DiGA

Epidemiology of Injury in English Women's Super league Football: A Cohort Study

INTRODUCTION: The epidemiology of injury in male professional football has been well documented (Ekstrand, Hägglund, & Waldén, 2011) and used as a basis to understand injury trends for a number of years. The prevalence and incidence of injuries occurring in womens super league football is unknown. The aim of this study is to estimate the prevalence and incidence of injury in an English Super League Women’s Football squad. METHODS: Following ethical approval from Leeds Beckett University, players (n = 25) signed to a Women’s Super League Football club provided written informed consent to complete a self-administered injury survey. Measures of exposure, injury and performance over a 12-month period was gathered. Participants were classified as injured if they reported a football injury that required medical attention or withdrawal from participation for one day or more. Injuries were categorised as either traumatic or overuse and whether the injury was a new injury and/or re-injury of the same anatomical site RESULTS: 43 injuries, including re-injury were reported by the 25 participants providing a clinical incidence of 1.72 injuries per player. Total incidence of injury was 10.8/1000 h (95% CI: 7.5 to 14.03). Participants were at higher risk of injury during a match compared with training (32.4 (95% CI: 15.6 to 48.4) vs 8.0 (95% CI: 5.0 to 10.85)/1000 hours, p 28 days) of which there were three non-contact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. The epidemiological incidence proportion was 0.80 (95% CI: 0.64 to 0.95) and the average probability that any player on this team will sustain at least one injury was 80.0% (95% CI: 64.3% to 95.6%) CONCLUSION: This is the first report capturing exposure and injury incidence by anatomical site from a cohort of English players and is comparable to that found in Europe (6.3/1000 h (95% CI 5.4 to 7.36) Larruskain et al 2017). The number of ACL injuries highlights a potential injury burden for a squad of this size. Multi-site prospective investigations into the incidence and prevalence of injury in women’s football are require

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Incidence of Injury in Professional Female Soccer

The epidemiology of injury in male professional football is well documented and has been used as a basis to monitor injury trends and implement injury prevention strategies. There are no systematic reviews that have investigated injury incidence in women’s professional football. Therefore, the extent of injury burden in women’s professional football remains unknown. PURPOSE: The primary aim of this study was to calculate an overall incidence rate of injury in senior female professional soccer. The secondary aims were to provide an incidence rate for training and match play. METHODS: PubMed, Discover, EBSCO, Embase and ScienceDirect electronic databases were searched from inception to September 2018. Two reviewers independently assessed study quality using the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology statement using a 22-item STROBE checklist. Seven prospective studies (n=1137 professional players) were combined in a pooled analysis of injury incidence using a mixed effects model. Heterogeneity was evaluated using the Cochrane Q statistic and I2. RESULTS: The epidemiological incidence proportion over one season was 0.62 (95% CI 0.59 - 0.64). Mean total incidence of injury was 3.15 (95% CI 1.54 - 4.75) injuries per 1000 hours. The mean incidence of injury during match play was 10.72 (95% CI 9.11 - 12.33) and during training was 2.21 (95% CI 0.96 - 3.45). Data analysis found a significant level of heterogeneity (total Incidence, X2 = 16.57 P < 0.05; I2 = 63.8%) and during subsequent sub group analyses in those studies reviewed (match incidence, X2 = 76.4 (d.f. = 7), P <0.05; I2 = 90.8%, training incidence, X2 = 16.97 (d.f. = 7), P < 0.05; I2 = 58.8%). Appraisal of the study methodologies revealed inconsistency in the use of injury terminology, data collection procedures and calculation of exposure by researchers. Such inconsistencies likely contribute to the large variance in the incidence and prevalence of injury reported. CONCLUSIONS: The estimated risk of sustaining at least one injury over one football season is 62%. Continued reporting of heterogeneous results in population samples limits meaningful comparison of studies. Standardising the criteria used to attribute injury and activity coupled with more accurate methods of calculating exposure will overcome such limitations

Proceedings of the 9th international conference on disability, virtual reality and associated technologies (ICDVRAT 2012)

The proceedings of the conferenc