Effects of Virtual Reality Exercise on Promoting Physical Activity and Health Among College Students

NCT06902727 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: STUDY00010580
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 36
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The purpose of this research is to examine the effectiveness of a 4-week immersive-virtual reality (VR) exercise bike intervention on college students' physiological outcomes (physical activity levels, cardiovascular fitness, and body composition) and psychological outcomes (situational motivation, situational interest, mood states, and depressive symptoms).

Conditions

Physical Activity Levels; Cardiovascular Fitness; Body Composition; Situational Motivation; Situational Interest; Mood States; Depressive Symptoms

Keywords

Exergaming; Physical Activity; Virtual Reality; Video games; VR games; Physical Activity Levels; Cardiovascular fitness

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Exercise Motivation

  Participants' motivation were assessed by the Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnire-2 (BREQ-2). The BREQ-2 has 19 items assessing the continuum of behavioral regulation in exercise, which included amotivation, external regulation, introjected regulation, identified regulation, and intrinsic regulation.

  Baseline, and 4 weeks

• Mood States

  Participants' mood states were measured by the Brunel Mood Scale (BRUMS). The BRUMS assesses mood across six subscales (anger, confusion, depression, fatigue, tension, and vigor) using a 24-item questionnaire with responses ranging from 0 (not at all) to 4 (extremely).

  Baseline, and 4 weeks

• Depressive Symptoms

  The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was used to assess participant's depressive symptoms. This is a 21-item, self-report rating inventory that measures characteristic attitudes and symptoms of depression. The total score was calculated to the evaluate the severity of depressive symptoms.

  Baseline, and 4 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Cardiovascular fitness levels

  Baseline, and 4 weeks

• Physical activity levels

  Baseline, and 4 weeks

• Body Mass Index

  Baseline, and 4 weeks

• Percent of body fat

  Baseline, and 4 weeks

Study Arms (2)

Exercise on immersive VR-based bike

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants were asked to exercise on an immersive VR-based exercise bike for one hour per session, two times per week, for 4 weeks

Device: VR-based exercise bike

Usual routine

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants in the control group were asked to maintain their usual routine after the baseline test for 4 weeks. Participants were scheduled separately coming to lab for the post-test after 4 weeks and all participants received the identical assessments in aforementioned physiological and psychological outcomes.

Other: Usual routine

Interventions

VR-based exercise bike DEVICE

For the intervention group, participations exercised on an immersive VR-based exercise bike for one hour, twice per week, for 4 weeks. Participants in the control group were asked to maintain their usual routine after the baseline test for 4 weeks. Participants were scheduled separately coming to lab for the post-test after 4 weeks and all participants received the identical assessments in aforementioned physiological and psychological outcomes.

Exercise on immersive VR-based bike

Usual routine OTHER

Participants were asked to maintain their usual activities, without engaging in any other physical activity intervention during the 4-week study period.

Usual routine

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 35 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• College students age from 18 to 35 years old who are currently enrolled in the university
• College students without diagnosed physical and/or mental disabilities
• Must be willing to provide informed consent and compete the PA Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q)
• Must be willing to be randomized into an intervention or control group
• no self-reported motion sickness symptoms during immersive VR-based exercise

You may not qualify if:

• Students under the age of 18 or over the age of 35 years old or not currently enrolled in the university
• Having self-reported physical and/or mental disabilities
• Contradictions to PA participation as determined by PAR-Q responses
• having motion sickness reaction when exercising under VR-based condition.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• The University of Tennessee, Knoxville: lead
• University of Minnesota: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455, United States

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Liu W, McDonough DJ, Oginni J, Mavoungou J, Gao Z. Effects of an Immersive Virtual Reality-Based Exercise Intervention on Psychological and Physiological Outcomes in College Students: Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Serious Games. 2025 Dec 15;13:e75777. doi: 10.2196/75777.

  PMID: 41307454 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Depression; Motor Activity

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor and Department Head

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 3, 2025
• First Posted: March 30, 2025
• Study Start: September 28, 2020
• Primary Completion: November 1, 2020
• Study Completion: July 1, 2021
• Last Updated: March 30, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share

Locations

US (1)