[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 245 (Friday, December 21, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65692-65694]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-27653]



[[Page 65692]]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


Announcement of Requirements and Registration for ``Shape of 
Health: An Obesity Prevention Game''

AGENCY: Office on Women's Health, Office of the Assistant Secretary for 
Health, Department of Health and Human Services.
    Subject of Challenge Competition: The Office on Women's Health 
(OWH) is seeking new ways to get health messages out to women and 
girls. According to the CDC, two out of every three women in the United 
States are overweight or obese.\1\ This extra weight can lead to many 
diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, and many cancers. Obesity 
results from a combination of causes and contributing factors, 
including individual factors such as behavior and genetics. Some 
examples of behaviors that affect weight include diet, physical 
activity, inactivity, and stress. Improving behaviors in these areas 
can help women and girls maintain a healthy weight.
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    \1\ https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/obesity-overweight.htm
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    Furthermore, American children today are increasingly unhealthy at 
earlier ages. According to the 2014 National Health and Nutrition 
Examination Survey (NHANES), of girls ages 2-19, 16 percent were 
overweight and 17.1 percent were obese.\2\ Many children and teens do 
not eat properly or exercise enough and as a result, childhood obesity 
and diabetes are increasingly prevalent. Children with obesity may 
experience immediate health consequences that can lead to weight-
related health problems in adulthood. In addition to physical health 
problems, overweight and obese children can be targets of social 
discrimination that can lead to low self-esteem and hinder social and 
academic functioning.
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    \2\ https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-statistics/overweight-obesity.
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    Video games are a unique medium to boost knowledge and skills and 
can lead to behavior change through exploration of cause and effect in 
a virtual environment. According to a Robert Wood Johnson project 
called ``Health Games Research,'' it was found that digital games can 
be effective in improving children's health in multiple health topics 
including physical fitness, health promotion, and disease 
management.\3\ Additional evidence suggests adult learning and behavior 
change is also possible through gaming. A study in JMIR Serious Games 
found that women with a higher baseline readiness to change experienced 
improvement in BMI and nutrition with game play.\4\
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    \3\ http://healthgamesresearch.org/our-publications/research-briefs/Game-Changer.
    \4\ Shiyko, M., Hallinan, S., Seif El-Nasr, M., Subramanian, S., 
& Castaneda-Sceppa, C. (2016). Effects of Playing a Serious Computer 
Game on Body Mass Index and Nutrition Knowledge in Women. JMIR 
Serious Games, 4(1), e8. http://doi.org/10.2196/games.4977.
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    Your challenge with this competition is to create an interactive 
video game with focus on obesity prevention or weight control for women 
or girls. The game you create will be shared with the general public. 
The game must address an evidence-based obesity prevention or control 
strategy. You must show that the game is unlike currently available 
offerings. The game must be made publically available at no cost as 
either a web-based or mobile based game available on a widely 
accessible platform.
    For more information about obesity prevention or control strategies 
and guidelines view the CDC's resource here: https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/resources/strategies-guidelines.html.
    The competition has three phases. All eligible submissions will be 
evaluated and separate prizes will be awarded for each of the three 
phases.

Registration Process for Participants

    Participants will be able to register and submit a submission on 
challenge.gov. Participants can find out more information at https://www.challenge.gov. All submissions will be made through the 
challenge.gov website.
    Dates: Submissions will be accepted starting January 15, 2019. The 
submission period for Phase 1 will end on March 15, 2019. The Phase 2 
(In-Person Presentation) submission period will be on a date TBD in 
2019. The prize winners will be announced at the completion of each 
phase.
    Entries not in compliance with the submission requirements outlined 
below will be ineligible for further review and prize award. During the 
open submission period, participants must submit the following 
information to enter the Shape of Health competition:

Phase 1 (Concept Development)

    The first stage of the competition aims to attract a large range of 
ideas and game developers. The target submission of the first stage 
will be the conceptualization of the most promising and/or unique game 
to help support behavior change around physical activity and/or 
nutrition to prevent obesity in women or girls. The submissions should 
aim to demonstrate that the proposed game will be accessible to the 
general public, developed from evidence-based prevention or control 
techniques, and engaging for women or girls.
    The Phase 1 Submission shall include a comprehensive description of 
the proposed game in 5 pages or less, including:
    1. A one-paragraph executive summary that clearly states how the 
game will target obesity prevention or control determinants and be 
developed for a women or girls audience;
    2. Link evidence to support the obesity determinant chosen and the 
theoretical basis for the game (will your game change behavior? improve 
knowledge? something novel? etc.);
    3. A descriptive overview of how the participant arrived at their 
idea, and why the approach is unlike anything already available;
    4. A draft storyboard of the game that describes the game 
components; and
    5. An assessment describing the participant's ability to execute 
the proposed solution through Phase 2 and to completion.
    Your Shape of Health competition concept submission must be 
uploaded in challenge.gov.
    Participants may also choose to include additional determinants 
that contribute to obesity not discussed in the provided resources. If 
additional determinants are included, the participant should include a 
short description of how these determinants may contribute to obesity 
and how this game will addresses these determinants.
    Up to 10 selections will be made in Phase 1 to continue on to Phase 
2.

Phase 2 (In-Person Presentation)

    Phase 2 of the competition builds upon the work of Phase 1 and is 
focused on prototyping the game, and providing an in-person 
presentation to a panel of judges. The participants should demonstrate 
both the evidence base for the intervention and its viability.
    The in-person presentation must include a description of how the 
following components are incorporated into the game:
     Relates to women or girls;
     Targets a determinant of obesity; and
     Engages the player
    Selected participants must build out the storyboard submitted in 
Phase 1 to become a visual presentation of game play. The visual 
presentation of game play must be recorded into a video and available 
through a private YouTube link. OWH expects that the participants 
provide an in-person presentation,

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which includes a demonstration of the recorded presentation of game 
play.
    Submissions must be free of security threats and/or malware. 
Participants agree that HHS may conduct testing on the submission to 
determine whether malware or other security threats may be present. HHS 
may disqualify the submission if, in HHS' judgment, the software may 
damage government or others' equipment or operating environment or if 
the game, in HHS' judgment, is inconsistent with HHS' public health 
mission, utilizes software or other technologies without appropriate 
licenses, or any other reason deemed necessary.
    The expectation is that each team will use the prize money from 
Phase 1 for at least one person to travel to Washington, DC to deliver 
the in-person presentation.
    Up to 2 selections will be made in Phase 2 to continue on to Phase 
3

Phase 3 (Final Development)

    Phase 3 builds upon the work of Phase 2 and is focused on the final 
development of the proposed game and making it available to the general 
public. Entrants are required to ensure that proper obesity prevention 
or control determinants are included in the final game. Participants 
are encouraged to discuss the proper obesity prevention or control 
determinants with OWH in order to make sure that they are included in 
the final game.
    Basis upon Which Winners Will Be Selected: A panel composed of 
subject-matter experts will judge eligible Shape of Health competition 
entries. The panel will make winner selections based upon the criteria 
outlined below and in compliance with the HHS Competition Judging 
Guidelines.
    One winner may be selected from each category (1 women's health and 
1 girls' health).

Phase 1 Scoring Criteria

    All Criteria are scaled 1-5, with 1 being the lowest score on each 
dimension and 5 being the highest score on each dimension. Scores are 
weighted by the proportion of each dimension and then aggregated to 
create a final score.
1. Viability of storyboard (30%)
    1 = Storyboard is not likely to be developed into a working game/5= 
Storyboard is likely to be able to developed into a working game
2. Application of research (20%)
    1 = Storyboard does not address evidence-based obesity prevention 
or control determinants/5 = Storyboard addresses evidence-based obesity 
prevention or control determinants
3. Relevancy of storyboard (20%)
    1 = Storyboard does not address obesity from a women/girls' health 
perspective/5 = Storyboard addresses obesity from a women/girls' health 
perspective
4. Originality of storyboard (15%)
    1 = Storyboard does not take a novel approach/5 = Storyboard takes 
a novel approach
5. Likelihood of adoption (15%)
    1 = Proposed game is not likely to be used by women/girls/5 = 
Proposed game is likely to be used by women/girls.

Phase 2 Scoring Criteria

    All Criteria are scaled 1-5, with 1 being the lowest score on each 
dimension and 5 being the highest score on each dimension. Scores are 
weighted by the proportion of each dimension and then aggregated to 
create a final score. Judging criteria for Phase 2 include:
1. Viability of game (30%)
    1 = Demo is not likely to be developed into a working game/5= Demo 
is likely to be developed into a working game
2. Application of research (20%)
    1 = Game does not address evidence-based obesity prevention or 
control determinants/5 = Game addresses evidence-based obesity 
prevention or control determinants
3. Relevancy of game (20%)
    1 = Game does not address obesity from an women/girls' health 
perspective/5 = Game addresses obesity from a women/girls' health 
perspective
4. Originality of game (15%)
    1 = Game does not take a novel approach/5 = Game takes a novel 
approach35. Likelihood of adoption (15%)
    1 = Game is not likely to be used by women/girls/5 = Game is likely 
to be used by women/girls

Phase 3 Scoring Criteria (Pass/Fail)

    The final prize money will be provided when the game:
     Is complete;
     includes the proper obesity prevention or control 
determinants; and
     is available to the general public on a widely accessible 
platform.

Amount of the Prize

     In Phase 1 (Concept Development), participants will 
compete for a $20,000 prize pot from which up to 10 submissions may be 
selected to receive a $2,000 prize each.
     In Phase 2 (In-person Demo), the 10 participants from 
Phase 1 will compete for a $70,000 prize pot. The following prizes may 
be awarded:
    [ssquf] Two First Place winners of $20,000 (one girls' health, one 
women's health)
    [ssquf] Two Second Place winners of $10,000 (one girls' health, one 
women's health)
    [ssquf] Two Third Place winners of $5,000 (one girls' health, one 
women's health)
     In Phase 3 the First Place winners from Phase 2 may each 
be awarded an additional $55,000.
     All winners will be notified via email.
    Eligibility Rules for Participating in the Competition: To be 
eligible to win a prize under this competition, an individual, group, 
or entity--
    (1) Shall have registered to participate in the competition under 
the rules promulgated by HHS;
    (2) Shall have complied with all the requirements under this 
section;
    (3) In the case of a private entity, shall be incorporated in and 
maintain a primary place of business in the United States, and in the 
case of an individual, whether participating singly or in a group, 
shall be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States;
    (4) May not be a Federal entity or Federal employee acting within 
the scope of their employment (all non-HHS Federal employees must 
consult with their agency Ethics Official to determine whether the 
Federal ethics rules will limit or prohibit the acceptance of a 
COMPETES Act prize);
    (5) Shall not be a Federal employee working on their applications 
or submissions during assigned duty hours;
    (6) May not be an HHS employee;
    (7) May not be any other individual or entity associated with the 
development, evaluation, or administration of the Shape of Health 
competition or members of such persons' immediate families (spouses, 
children, siblings, parents), and persons living in the same household 
as such persons, whether or not related;
    (8) A Federal grantee may not use Federal funds to develop 
submissions unless consistent with the purpose of their grant award;
    (9) A Federal contractor may not use Federal funds from a contract 
to develop COMPETES Act challenge applications or to fund efforts in 
support of a COMPETES Act challenge submission;
    (10) Must be an individual or team comprised only of members 18 
years of age or older;
    (11) Shall not be deemed ineligible because the individual or 
entity used federal facilities or consulted with

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federal employees during a competition if the facilities and employees 
are made equitably available to all individuals and entities 
participating in the competition;
    (12) Must provide a statement agreeing to indemnify the federal 
government against third party claims for damages arising from or 
related to competition activities;
    (13) Must provide a statement agreeing to assume all risks and 
waive claims against the Federal Government and its related entities, 
except in the case of willful misconduct, for any injury, death, 
damage, or loss of property, revenue, or profits, whether direct, 
indirect, or consequential, arising from participation in this prize 
contest, whether the injury, death, damage, or loss arises through 
negligence or otherwise.
    (14) HHS has hereby waived the requirement for participants to 
obtain liability insurance in a specified amount for this competition. 
Participants are advised to consult with appropriate advisors to 
determine what amounts of insurance may be necessary for their own 
liability protection.
    (15) Shall not be currently on the Excluded Parties List (https://www.epls.gov).

Additional Requirements

    Entrants shall not use the OWH or HHS logos or official seals in 
their submissions, and must not claim endorsement.
    HHS reserves the right to cancel, suspend, and/or modify the Shape 
of Health competition, or any part of it, for any reason, at HHS' sole 
discretion.
    Payment of the Prize: Prizes awarded under this competition will be 
paid by electronic funds transfer and may be subject to Federal income 
taxes. HHS will comply with the Internal Revenue Service withholding 
and reporting requirements, where applicable.

Intellectual Property (IP)

     Each entrant retains full ownership and title in and to 
their submission. Entrants expressly reserve all intellectual property 
rights not expressly granted under this publication notice.
     By participating in the competition, each entrant hereby 
irrevocably grants to HHS a limited, non-exclusive, royalty-free, 
worldwide license and right to reproduce, publically perform, 
publically display, and use the submission for internal HHS business 
and to the extent necessary to administer the competition, and to 
publically perform and publically display the submission, including, 
without limitation, for advertising and promotional purposes relating 
to the competition.
     Record Retention and FOIA: All materials submitted to HHS 
as part of a submission become HHS records and cannot be returned. Any 
confidential commercial information contained in a submission should be 
designated at the time of submission. Participants will be notified of 
any Freedom of Information Act requests for their submissions in 
accordance with 45 CFR 5.65.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Information on obesity prevention and 
control in women and girls can be found at:
    https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/resources/strategies-guidelines.html
    https://www.womenshealth.gov/a-z-topics/overweight-obesity-and-weight-loss
    https://www.girlshealth.gov/nutrition/healthyweight/
    Details on the Shape of Health competition may be found at 
challenge.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ann Abercrombie at 
[email protected].

    Dated: November 28, 2018.
Brett Giroir,
 ADM, Assistant Secretary for Health.
[FR Doc. 2018-27653 Filed 12-20-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4150-33-P