Award Date

5-1-2025

Degree Type

Doctoral Project

Degree Name

Occupational Therapy Doctorate

Department

Brain Health

First Committee Member

Donnamarie Krause

Second Committee Member

Sharon Jalene

Number of Pages

80

Abstract

This study aimed to gather insights from Emerging Adult (EA) gamers (between 18 and 24) regarding their nutritional literacy, dietary patterns, and its potential impacts on their occupational performance and physical well-being. There is a need to gather gamers' perspectives to identify the specific facilitators and barriers regarding their ability to discern appropriate dietary choices, as it provides more information regarding preventative and client-centered measures for future healthcare professionals. Occupational Therapists (OTs) are uniquely equipped to address this population's needs, as the profession's holistic principles allow for a well-rounded and sustainable approach. Additionally, growing emphasis is placed on preventative rather than reactionary measures to facilitate improved quality of life (QOL) over a prolonged period. This study was completed through a focus group of seven individuals who fit the criteria for age, self-identifying as gamers, and being non-nutritional science majors. Participants were recruited at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), where word of mouth, social media announcements, and promotional posters provided study details. Audio recordings were transcribed, and qualitative analysis was conducted by the doctoral researcher and verified by the Principal Investigator, utilizing a codebook for validation, code congruency, and consensus. The data suggests that EA gamers are highly self-aware of gaming stereotypes, internal/external constraints, and cultural influences, which ultimately guide their decision-making regarding dietary patterns and influence their physical well-being and occupational performance. Future researchers could build on this study by creating structured questionnaires that help develop preventative measures and tailored interventions or conduct several focus groups with a diverse sample size to improve the generalizability of findings.

Keywords

Adult; Emerging; Gamers; Occupational; Performance

Disciplines

Nutrition | Occupational Therapy

File Format

pdf

File Size

1481 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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