top of page
sign.png
Search

Professional Exploration: Technology exploration

Yuchen Tong 11/19/18


My project focuses on how to use VR/AR technology to help combat childhood obesity, so this week I explored existing research topics, solutions and products, as well as opportunities and limitations of applying VR/AR technology in obesity prevention. Existing research on this topic is mainly related to cognitive behavioral therapy, like using virtual environment to treat body image disturbances, or using virtual food stimuli to treat eating disorder and overeating. Some obvious and unintentional applications like how AR games encourage physical activities (e.g. Pokemon Go) can also provide opportunities in obesity prevention, especially for young population.


Overview of Existing Research

"These two AR approaches to diet and exercise could really have an impact on childhood obesity rates. By coaching children to engage in healthy habits like portion control and regular exercise, we can set them up to lead healthier lives in the long run. "

"Structured, behavioral weight loss treatments involving nutritional education, behavioral change principles, and psychological strategies are considered the first line of treatment and do produce clinically significant weight loss (5–10%, on average) . "


"Technology offers exciting solutions for promoting weight control behaviors, including apps and devices that make it relatively easy to track physical activity and calorie intake, smartphone apps capable of providing in-the-moment interventions, exergames that make physical activity more motivating and rewarding, personalized weight control coaching via tailored, computerized algorithms, remote obesity interventions capable of delivering effective, low-cost interventions regardless of location, and computerized training programs that improve basic cognitive capacities necessary for exerting behavioral self-control. "

"Two main areas of interest emerged from these studies: virtual work on patients’ body image (7/26, 27%) and exposure to virtual food stimuli (10/26, 38%). Some study protocols analyzed both of these fields (6/26, 23%). A total of 15 (58%) studies had a primary therapeutic objective; 11 (42%) studies evaluated the users’ tolerance of the protocol and their emotional reactions during the VR immersion. "


Limitation

"Challenges associated with the application of VR methods, such as technological limitations and cost, are also considered. "

"There are two important limitations… First, virtually none of the solutions described above has been subjected to adequate empirical scrutiny… Second, certain types of behavioral change may depend on the type of accountability and support that can only be delivered by a person…"


Body Image

Key words:

bodily awareness; body dissatisfaction; psychological distress; radical weight-control behaviors


"Two methods are commonly used to treat body image: (1) a cognitive/behavioural therapy to influence patients' feelings of dissatisfaction; (2) a visual/motorial therapy with the aim of influencing the level of bodily awareness. VEBIM tries to integrate these two therapeutic approaches within an immersive virtual environment."


Food & Diet

Key words:

AR food stimuli; resist the urge to eat; portion control; eating disorder


"Binge eating is one of the key behaviors in relation to the etiology and severity of obesity. Cue exposure with response prevention consists of exposing patients to binge foods while actual eating is not allowed. Augmented reality (AR) has the potential to change the way cue exposure is administered"


Physical Activities

Keywords:

ARG; AVG; Pokemon Go; physical activities; regular exercise


"Given their integration of physical movement, ARGs can be categorized as active video games (AVG), which may mitigate health risks associated with sedentary gameplay and possibly improve the health of gamers "

"The advent of a new style of video games called Augmented Reality Games (ARG), specifically Pokémon GO (PG), may increase physical activity through playing video games. "

"Exergames are appealing because they combine exercise with entertainment, creating social and competitive elements to game play. New developments include virtual reality (Astrojumper), and augmented reality (Pokemon Go)… can significantly increase physical activity levels. "

Comments

bottom of page