PLAY IT FORWARD
PLAY IT FORWARD IDENTIFIES HEALTH BENEFITS VIA CURRICULUM-BASED GAMEPLAY EDUCATION.
We are investigating whether and how the game of Spades, a historically Black American card game, can decrease the negative impacts of isolation and increase connection to our shared history and culture. Our organization has set out to deliver a Multi-Tiered Spades Intervention (MTSI) in identified communities in South Los Angeles to observe the potential impact on changes in behavior, physical, and sociocultural environment across four (i.e., individual, interpersonal, community, societal) levels of influence. To promote collective leisure and community care, Love, Peace & Games 501(c)(3) Presents: “Play It Forward” – A model that uses a well-known card game to curate intergenerational hush harbors, within families and neighborhoods in throughout South LA, and predominantly Black neighborhoods in cities nationwide.
PLAY IT FORWARD AIMS TO ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:
What are the impacts of the MTSI model on behavior, the physical/built environment, and the sociocultural environment for individuals?
What are the impacts of the MTSI model on behavior, the physical/built environment, and the sociocultural environment for families and friend groups?
What are the impacts of the MTSI model on behavior, the physical/built environment, and the sociocultural environment for communities and neighborhoods in South LA?
How can the MTSI model be developed to scale in communities across the United States?
WE WILL ANSWER THE ABOVE QUESTIONS VIA THE FOLLOWING:
Educate individual players on the unique history of Spades and arm them with tools to host game nights and serve as trained health and wellness ambassadors with families and friends.
Inform underserved communities about the benefits of leisure and community-building through gameplay, to reduce health disparities associated with social isolation and loneliness.
Develop a low-cost, localized, sustainable model for intergenerational engagement through gameplay, nationwide.
Enact policy change that will secure funding and program implementation in municipalities across the U.S. to address and improve systemic current racial and health inequities.
RACIAL AND HEALTH INEQUITY IMPLICATIONS
A large body of research highlights the benefits of leisure activities for mental and physical health. Black Americans face multiple health disparities and have lower rates of access to mental health treatment. Research shows that play can serve as a tool to mitigate these impacts while improving health. Although the bulk of this research focuses on the physical aspects of play, over 600 potential mechanisms of action have been identified that link leisure activities to improvements in psychological, biological, social, behavioral, and health behavior outcomes. Additional research is needed to focus on the benefits of other types of leisure activities, particularly those that build community, increase engagement, and shift mindsets and expectations around health as a shared value, particularly among socially and economically marginalized populations.
OUTCOMES
The MTSI framework provides examples of the outcomes, developed from the NIMHD Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Framework. Click here to request more information.