A Systematic Review on Improving Health Literacy in Rural Africa Using Mobile Serious Games

Abstract

Driven by an increase in the availability of cheap low-cost mobile phones and a jump in the number of telecom subscribers, the African gaming world is booming. Most importantly, it has opened an opportunity for rural communities to have an almost identical mobile phone experience than people living in urban areas. It has also opened an opportunity to leverage this high penetration of mobile devices to design mobile-based applications such as mobile serious games. The latter assists individuals living in these communities to modify, change or shape their behaviors and attitudes desirably. This paper reviews mobile serious games in healthcare education, especially those intended to improve health literacy in rural Africa. The challenges and issues encountered in the design and use of persuasive mobile games as a tool can promote behavior change among people living in the rural African communities.