Research and Evidence

 

Game-based health education, built on evidence

 

WellFight is a research-led Community Interest Company creating playful, practical tools for health education, self-management and healthy coping.

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Our mission is to make complex health information easier to understand, talk about and act on. We do this by combining behavioural science, health psychology, human factors, clinical expertise, lived experience and game design.

 

Through card games, role-playing games and hands-on learning kits, WellFight turns real-world health and wellbeing challenges into structured, accessible experiences that support curiosity, conversation and confidence.

 

Why games?

 

Health education is often information-heavy, clinical and difficult to apply in everyday life. People living with long-term conditions — and the families, schools and communities around them — need ways to explore health that feel engaging, non-judgemental and memorable.

 

Games offer a different route into learning. They can help people practise decisions, explore consequences, talk about difficult topics and build understanding together. WellFight uses play as a serious method for education, communication and behaviour support.

 

• Our approach focuses on:

• improving health literacy

• supporting healthy coping

• reducing stigma

• encouraging family and peer conversations

• helping healthcare professionals explain complex issues

• making education more accessible across clinics, schools and community settings

 

Our research foundation

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WellFight’s reseach programme is led by Co-Founder Professor Katharine Barnard PhD and informed by her experience building Barnard Health Research Ltd.

 

Barnard Health Research specialises in clinical research, human factors, patient-reported outcomes, quality of life, psychosocial impact, patient engagement and public health. This research foundation helps ensure WellFight’s games are not simply “fun health resources”, but theory-driven tools designed around real-world needs.

 

Together, WellFight and Barnard Health Research bring together:

 

• clinical and psychosocial research

• human factors methodology

• lived-experience co-design

• patient and family engagement

• qualitative and quantitative evaluation

• implementation in routine care and community settings

 

Evidence to date

 

Supporting diabetes education and healthy coping through gamification

 

In 2026, we proudly published our first manuscript:

 

Supporting Diabetes Education and Healthy Coping Through Gamification

ADCES in Practice. First published online March 21, 2026.DOI: 10.1177/2633559X251403069

 

This publication describes WellFight’s approach to using gamification to support diabetes education and healthy coping.

 

American Diabetes Association late-breaking abstract

 

In 2025, WellFight’s diabetes game work was presented as a late-breaking abstract at the American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions:

1941-LB: Gamification to Deliver Diabetes Education

Diabetes. 2025;74(Supplement_1):1941-LB.

DOI: 10.2337/db25-1941-LB

 

The abstract described DiaFight as a novel trading game for children and adults aged 7+ designed to address real lived-experience issues faced by children, families and adults with type 1 diabetes. The work followed co-design development with people living with diabetes and healthcare professionals, followed by focus groups assessing acceptability, relevance, educational impact, stigma impact and playability.

 

The ADA abstract reported feedback from adults, children and healthcare professionals. Participants felt the game made diabetes easier to talk about, helped explain the demands of diabetes to others and supported conversations about physical, mental and social experiences of diabetes.

 

Our research methods

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WellFight uses a staged research and development process:

1. Lived-experience discovery
We begin by listening to people living with health conditions, families, carers, clinicians, educators and community partners.

2. Evidence mapping
We map educational needs, psychosocial challenges, clinical concepts and behaviour-change opportunities.

3. Game-based translation
We convert real-world challenges into cards, characters, rules, scenarios and mechanics that make learning active and memorable.

4. Co-design and refinement
We test early concepts with the communities they are designed for, including people with lived experience and healthcare professionals.

5. Evaluation
We assess acceptability, relevance, usability, educational value, stigma impact, communication value and potential for implementation.

6. Real-world deployment
We design resources for use in clinics, schools, events, family settings and community programmes.

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Research themes

Our current and future research focuses on:

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Diabetes education and coping

Supporting children, families and adults to understand diabetes, talk about it more easily and explore the emotional, social and practical demands of living with the condition.

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Stigma and communication

Using games to make hidden or difficult experiences easier to explain, discuss and understand.

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Health literacy

Making complex health information accessible through plain language, visual design, story and structured play.

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Human factors and usability

Designing tools that work in real-world settings, including busy clinics, schools, family homes and community events.

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Community-based implementation

Exploring how game-based education can reach people outside traditional healthcare pathways.

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Working with us

WellFight welcomes collaborations with researchers, universities, healthcare organisations, charities, schools, community groups and industry partners interested in game-based health education.

We are particularly interested in partnerships focused on:

• research studies and evaluation

• co-design with lived-experience communities

• school and clinic implementation

• public engagement

• health literacy

• psychosocial support

• patient and family education

• grant-funded research programmes