ArticleJMIR serious games2025
Effects of an Immersive Virtual Reality-Based Exercise Intervention on Psychological and Physiological Outcomes in College Students: Randomized Controlled Trial.
Article in JMIR serious games, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06902727 (Effects of Virtual Reality Exercise on Promoting Physical Activity and Health Among College Students), which is not on this map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Effects of Virtual Reality Exercise on Promoting Physical Activity and Health Among College Students: A 4-week Randomized Controlled Trial
Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Review
- The Effect of an Immersive Virtual Reality Physical Activity Intervention on Anthropometric Variables, Physical Fitness, and Blood Pressure in College Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Immersive metaverse art as a psychological intervention for depression and anxiety: a narrative review and multilevel model integrating engagement, cultural identity, and neurocognitive mechanisms.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Review
- Comparative changes in problematic smartphone use tendencies across four active exercise modalities among college students: an exploratory multicategorical relative indirect-effect analysis.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPhysical inactivity is a major public health issue among college students, often exacerbated by academic pressures and lifestyle shifts. Traditional exercise interventions often face challenges with adherence due to low motivation and engagement. Immersive virtual reality (VR)-based exercise interventions may address these barriers by providing interactive and motivating experiences, yet empirical evidence regarding their psychological and physiological benefits remains scarce.
objectiveThis study aims to evaluate the effects of a 4-week immersive VR-based exercise intervention on psychological and physiological health outcomes in college students.
methodsA randomized controlled trial was conducted involving 36 college students randomized into either a VR exercise group (n=17, 47%) or a no-intervention control group (n=19, 53%). Participants in the VR group engaged in immersive VR cycling sessions (two 60-minute sessions weekly) using the VirZoom VR system, while the control group continued their normal routines. Psychological outcomes were assessed during preintervention and postintervention assessments, including exercise motivation (Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire-2), mood states (Brunel Mood Scale), and depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory). Physiological outcomes assessed were cardiovascular fitness (3-Minute Step Test) and body composition (bioelectrical impedance analysis). We used a 2-way repeated measures ANOVA to analyze the effects of the intervention.
resultsSignificant time×group interactions indicated enhanced intrinsic motivation (P=.02; η
conclusionsThis study indicated that a 4-week immersive VR-based exercise intervention may confer short-term psychological and physiological benefits among college students compared to the no-intervention control group under COVID-19 pandemic-related constraints. Future studies should adopt active control designs and be conducted in real-world settings, incorporating objectively determined intensity monitoring and follow-up to further investigate effectiveness and real-world scalability.
trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT06902727; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06902727.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.