“Healthy Points” Gaming to Teach Social Determinants of Health

Social determinants of health (SDOH) and population health are critical to prelicensure nursing education. Game-based learning is a strategy to increase student engagement. A gaming activity was created by faculty to increase student interaction and have students gain a deeper understanding of the SDOH. The game has students experience events that impact health, represented by “healthy points.” Faculty observed deeper student engagement and more robust discussion in class when using the game, with students reporting that the game was fun and engaging. Teaching methods such as gaming can be effective for teaching SDOH and preparing students to promote health equity.