The diets of Americans have changed considerably over the past several decades.Decision making around healthful
food selection has been complicated by the increase of processed food products available at supermarkets, proliferation
of restaurants offering inexpensive meals, and the rising number of meals that Americans eat outside of the home.Research suggests that for most people, taste and cost-effectiveness are the 2 primary determinants of individual food choices, with convenience and cost as the 2 variables that matter most for lower-income populations; nutrition was deemed less important than the aforementioned reasons.Healthful diet decisions are essential for combating the overweight and obesity problem in the United States, and interventions to increase nutrition literacy are often adopted to educate low-income individuals, with print brochures and materials as the primary means for delivering health information. However, interactive media interventions that are educational and entertaining might be more attractive for communicating nutrition information and increasing retention.The current study evaluates the effectiveness of 3 different modalities for delivery of nutrition education material, and results are interpreted within the media uses and gratifications (MUG) paradigm, which identifies different motivations for the use of media. The problem of low nutrition literacy is defined,
video games as an entertainment-education strategy are then discussed, and finally the MUG theory is presented.