Virtual Reality Effects on Food Intake Game to Decrease Food Intake

Tilburg University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Food Intake

Treatments: Other: Real Nonfood; Other: Real Food; Other: Virtual reality Food; Other: Virtual reality Nonfood; Other: Virtual reality Food Branded

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05169996

2018-PC-9033

Details and patient eligibility

About

Aims:

• The first aim was to replicate the pre-exposure effect. This was done by assessing the effect of exposing participants to a puzzle game with real foods compared to real nonfoods on food intake.
• The second aim was to investigate the potential of VR for eliciting the pre-exposure effect. This was done by comparing the effect of a VR puzzle game with foods to a VR puzzle game with nonfoods on food intake.
• The third aim was to assess the effect of branding in VR on brand responses and the role of emotional responses herein. This was done by comparing a branded virtual puzzle game with foods with a (non-branded) virtual puzzle game with foods.

Study design: a randomized 2 (game: real vs virtual) x 2 (product: food vs non-food) between-subjects design lab experiment, the effectiveness of pre-exposure to food in a VR game is tested. A fifth condition was added ("VR x branded food") in order to examine brand effects.

Full description

Aim: Every day, people are exposed to a wide variety of tasty foods, which is thought to be the leading cause of overeating. However, subsequent intake is believed to decrease when individuals engage with foods outside an eating context in an unrelated task-this is called the pre-exposure effect. Thus far, this effect has only been found when tempting foods are physically present. The current study aims to examine whether the effect also occurs when hyper-realistic food is present in VR.

Virtual reality (VR) provides the ultimate level of immersion, creating a sense of physical presence in the three-dimensional virtual environment. Therefore, VR has a major potential for implementation of the pre-exposure effect in an intervention and to assess the underlying psychological mechanisms. The level of immersion is also thought to increase the effects of brand exposure. Here, a VR game was developed with realistic virtual foods and it was assessed in the lab whether interaction with virtual foods decreases subsequent food intake similarly as real foods do. In addition the effects of brand exposure in VR on brand-relevant outcomes were assessed.

Aims:

• The first aim was to replicate the pre-exposure effect. This was done by assessing the effect of exposing participants to a puzzle game with real foods compared to real nonfoods on food intake.
• The second aim was to investigate the potential of VR for eliciting the pre-exposure effect. This was done by comparing the effect of a VR puzzle game with foods to a VR puzzle game with nonfoods on food intake.
• The third aim was to assess the effect of branding in VR on brand responses and the role of emotional responses herein. This was done by comparing a branded virtual puzzle game with foods with a (non-branded) virtual puzzle game with foods.

Study design: In a randomized 2 (game: real vs virtual) x 2 (product: food vs non-food) between-subjects design lab experiment, the effectiveness of pre-exposure to food in a VR game is tested. A fifth condition was added ("VR x branded food") in order to examine brand effects.

Enrollment: 202 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 30 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• None (except for age 18-30)

Exclusion criteria

• Peanut allergy (self-reported)

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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202 participants in 5 patient groups

Real Food

Experimental group

Description:

Participants are exposed to a tangram game with puzzle pieces from chocolate.

Treatment:

Other: Real Food

Real Nonfood

Experimental group

Description:

Participants are exposed to a tangram game with puzzle pieces from wood.

Treatment:

Other: Real Nonfood

Virtual reality Food

Experimental group

Description:

Participants are exposed to a virtual reality experience with a tangram game with puzzle pieces from (virtual) chocolate.

Treatment:

Other: Virtual reality Food

Virtual reality Nonfood

Experimental group

Description:

Participants are exposed to a virtual reality experience with a tangram game with puzzle pieces from (virtual) wood.

Treatment:

Other: Virtual reality Nonfood

Virtual reality Food Branded

Experimental group

Description:

Participants are exposed to a virtual reality experience with a tangram game with puzzle pieces from (virtual) chocolate. In the background of the puzzle, a brand is shown.

Treatment:

Other: Virtual reality Food Branded