Purpose Nutritional disorders and unhealthy nutrition, which are recognised as the causes of many widespread health problems (overweight, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, etc.) have emerged as a significant problem that requires resolution. The purpose of this study is to influence dietary preferences and to reduce current health issues by using gamification as a social marketing tool. To this end, the decision-making processes affecting food choices in individuals based on calorific content were evaluated and the effectiveness of gamification in encouraging consumers to make lower-calorie choices was examined. Design/methodology/approach An experimental design was used to determine the effect of gamification on the dietary preferences of consumers. An independent factorial design (between groups) in which multiple variables were tested with different subjects was used to test the factors that were thought to affect the food choices made by the participants from gamified and non-gamified menus. Findings In Study 1, menus (gamified vs non-gamified) and nutritional consciousness (low vs high) had a significant main effect on the total calorie count of the selected foods. In Study 2, menus (gamified with prices vs non-gamified with prices) had a significant main effect on the total calorie count of the selected foods, while nutritional consciousness (low vs high) did not. A significant interaction was observed between menus and nutritional consciousness. Practical implications Gamification can be used as an important publicity tool for promoting public health using different influential factors such as price. Originality/value This study shows that people can change their food preferences positively through gamification. It shows further how people tend to evaluate the price of their food rather than the calorie count when making dietary preferences. Gamification can, therefore, be considered a promising social marketing tool for improving public health.

Gamification and health are discussed from a one-sided perspective. Gamification and health studies focus on the use of gamification for health and overlook the perspective on how gamification affects health. This chapter discusses gamification and health in terms of organizations, individuals, and society, and addresses the effects of gamification on health and the use of gamification for health. Existing research on gamification and health addresses gamification practices developed for health and the health effects of gamification separately. Consequently, the aim of this chapter is to contribute to the original research collection organized into gamification studies in health from a holistic perspective.