Flip No. 36

Gamify shopping at the retail grocery store to improve health literacy

Collecting a set of bingo cards to help inform healthy life choices

By Flip the Clinic

Developed at Flip the Clinic Lab: Phoenix

Health literacy in the United States is abysmal. According to Health.gov, only 12 percent of the country is able to “obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services to make appropriate health decisions.” For many people, there isn’t an easy or clear way to access non-commercial scientifically-accurate information that supports wise health choices. Even if they know where to find the information they need, health education occupies a low spot on the to-do list.

We need a set of health education tools that don’t feel like work. Even better, working health education into a game and people will want to improve their knowledge base in order to be eligible for a prize. A game like Body Bingo could kick off the effort. Distributed at grocery stores and convenience stores, Body Bingo would encourage players to collect cards that include health facts and information, either by purchasing healthy foods or buying the cards separately. When players collect the right combination of Body Bingo tiles to complete the card, they win a prize—and access to information or services, like an appointment with a nutritionist at the store, that could inspire and lead to more informed health decisions.

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