Abstract
Objective purpose: This review synthesized the literature examining the effects of virtual reality (VR)-based exercise on physiological, psychological, and rehabilitative outcomes in various populations. Design: A systematic review. Data sources: 246 articles were retrieved using key words, such as “VR”, “exercise intervention”, “physiological”, “psychology”, and “rehabilitation” through nine databases including Academic Search Premier and PubMed. Eligibility criteria for selecting studies: 15 articles which met the following criteria were included in the review: (1) peer-reviewed; (2) published in English; (3) randomized controlled trials (RCTs), controlled trials or causal-comparative design; (4) interventions using VR devices; and (5) examined effects on physiological, psychological, and/or rehabilitative outcomes. Descriptive and thematic analyses were used. Results: Of the 12 articles examining physiological outcomes, eight showed a positive effect on physical fitness, muscle strength, balance, and extremity function. Only four articles examined the effects on psychological outcomes, three showed positive effects such that VR exercise could ease fatigue, tension, and depression and induce calmness and enhance quality of life. Nine articles investigated the effects of VR-based exercise on rehabilitative outcomes with physiological and/or psychological outcomes, and six observed significant positive changes. In detail, patients who suffered from chronic stroke, hemodialysis, spinal-cord injury, cerebral palsy in early ages, and cognitive decline usually saw better improvements using VR-based exercise. Conclusion: The findings suggest that VR exercise has the potential to exert a positive impact on individual’s physiological, psychological, and rehabilitative outcomes compared with traditional exercise. However, the quality, quantity, and sample size of existing studies are far from ideal. Therefore, more rigorous studies are needed to confirm the observed positive effects.
Highlights
Over the past decades, the effects of physical activity (PA) on individual’s health have been well documented [1,2,3]
We chose to disregard some studies upon further investigation for of the titles and abstracts of these articles, duplicate papers were excluded
We chose to disregard some studies upon further investigation for several reasons: (VRET) or Virtual Reality in Psychological Treatment (VRT))
Summary
The effects of physical activity (PA) on individual’s health have been well documented [1,2,3]. World Health Organization (WHO) approximately 25% of adults and 80% of adolescents around the world are physically inactive partly due to societal and lifestyle changes [4]. Exercise (i.e., planned, structured and repetitive PA) is often perceived as boring and hard, thereby causing adults and students shy away from PA-related behaviors after long days of work and/or school. Individuals are more interested in leisure activities, such as video games, where entertainment can be obtained while relaxing (i.e., sedentary behavior). The combination of video games and engaging in PA (e.g., virtual reality (VR)-integrated exercise) may trigger their interest and improve their PA behavior. Public Health 2020, 17, 4133; doi:10.3390/ijerph17114133 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
