LaObese: A Serious Game Powered by Analytic Hierarchy Process for Culturally Tailored Childhood Obesity Prevention in Oman

Childhood obesity is a growing public health concern in Oman, yet culturally appropriate digital tools for early prevention remain scarce. This study introduces LaObese, a mobile application and serious game designed to prevent obesity in Omani preschool children. The name LaObese derives from the Arabic word “La” (meaning “no”) and an abbreviation of “obesity”, reflecting the game’s mission to say, “no to obesity”. LaObese integrates gamification and behaviour modification strategies to encourage healthy lifestyle practices from an early age. Targeting children aged six, the initiative addresses the urgent issue of early childhood obesity, which is linked to long-term health complications. The development process incorporated a Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) approach – specifically the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to identify and prioritise foods commonly consumed by children, ensuring the game’s nutritional content is both effective and culturally relevant. Food items were categorised (e.g., fruits, vegetables, proteins, beverages, desserts, and traditional Omani dishes) to align with preschool nutrition goals and local dietary habits. Findings from expert assessments (informed by national nutrition guidelines and local data from Salalah, Dhofar) highlight a growing preference for nutrient-rich traditional foods like dates and almonds among young children. LaObese is the first serious game in the Arab region to integrate an AHP-driven educational model for childhood obesity prevention. The platform facilitates collaboration between health professionals and educators in creating culturally tailored digital interventions, aiming to instil healthy eating habits in children through engaging gameplay.

@article{Zulkefli2025,
  title     = {LaObese: A Serious Game Powered by Analytic Hierarchy Process for Culturally Tailored Childhood Obesity Prevention in Oman},
  journal   = {International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications},
  volume    = {16},
  number    = {6},
  year      = {2025},
  publisher = {The Science and Information Organization},
  author    = {Nurul Akhmal Mohd Zulkefli and Mukesh Madanan and Zainab Mohammed Al-Nahdi and Jayasree Radhamaniamma},
  doi       = {10.14569/IJACSA.2025.0160629},
  url       = {https://doi.org/10.14569/IJACSA.2025.0160629}
}