Social Robots vs. Chatbots: Evaluating the Effect as a Persuasive Technology for Children in the Healthy Eating Domain

Childhood obesity and overweight are concerning issues worldwide with significant health and social implications, making it necessary to implement prevention and intervention policies. Engaging children through creative and playful methods is an effective approach to motivating behavior change. Social robots have emerged as promising tools in education and persuasive technology, due to their interactive and engaging nature. This paper presents a study examining the potential of a social robot acting as a nutrition coach for children, by comparing interactions with a social robot versus a chatbot. Results suggest that, in the short term, the social robot was perceived as more persuasive, increasing participants' intention to adopt healthier eating behavior. These findings offer insights for the development of personalized nutrition coaching for children.