Project R-15871

Back in the Game. (Research)

Low back and neck pain are major problems in our society. Globally, a 36% increase in the prevalence of low back pain is expected by 2050. In Belgium, they account for 13% and 8% of the loss of healthy life years, respectively. Low back and neck pain are multifactorial conditions, influenced by biophysical, psychological, social, comorbid and genetic factors. These determine pain perception and impact on daily life, including work participation. Individuals with spinal pain experience challenges in maintaining or seeking employment. If not adequately and timely addressed, this eventually leads to absenteeism, early dropout, reduced productivity or long-term inactivity. A serious game is an interactive application designed for educational or training purposes. It combines serious learning with playful elements to increase user engagement and motivation, enabling effective knowledge transfer and skill development. It has already been proven that it can help increase knowledge, promote behavioural change and reduce mental barriers. Using a serious game in the fight against work absenteeism and inactivity in persons with low back and neck pain, is currently undeveloped and untested. It could be an innovative, low-threshold and accessible way to approach persons with low back and neck pain and help them in overcoming daily obstacles so that they can stay at work in a sustainable way or regain enough self-confidence to actively look for work again. The aim of the 'Back in the Game' project is therefore to develop and implement an (evidence-based) serious game, fully tailored to the needs and requirements of persons with low back and neck pain, and to evaluate its added value towards work participation. The results of this study will provide insight into the effectiveness of serious games as an intervention for this target group and the current issues towards reduced labour participation. If a positive result, this study and the serious game concept developed hereby mark the starting point for exploring multiple target audiences and the possibility of addressing work absenteeism in multiple health problems.

01 September 2025 - 31 August 2029