Craving for Food in Virtual Reality Scenarios in Non‐Clinical Sample: Analysis of its Relationship with Body Mass Index and Eating Disorder Symptoms

Abstract

Virtual reality (VR) technology has been successfully used to study the influence of specific and contextual food-related cues on emotional, cognitive and behavioural responses in patients with eating disorders (ED) and healthy controls. Following this research line, the present study assesses the effect on reported food craving of the type of food (low calorie versus high calorie) and the presence or absence of other people (private versus social context) in VR environments. Relationships between craving and body mass index (BMI) and ED symptoms are also explored. Eighty-seven female students were exposed to four VR scenarios presented in random order: a low-calorie kitchen, a high-calorie kitchen, a low-calorie restaurant and a high-calorie restaurant. After 2 minutes of exposure to each virtual scenario, food craving was assessed. Repeated measures analyses of covariance were conducted to assess changes in food craving following exposure to the different VR environments. Time elapsed since the last meal was introduced as a covariate to control for responses produced by food deprivation. Correlation and hierarchical multiple regression analyses were also conducted to assess the relationship between reported food craving and BMI and ED symptoms. Participants experienced higher levels of food craving after exposure to high-calorie foods (in both the kitchen and restaurant environments) than after exposure to low-calorie foods. Being alone in the kitchen or with friends in the restaurant had no effect on reported craving. Overall, neither BMI nor ED symptoms were related with reported food craving; only in the restaurant with low-calorie food was a significant negative correlation found between BMI and food craving. The results suggest that cue exposure in virtual environments is an effective procedure for inducing food craving in healthy controls and may be useful as a research and therapeutic tool in clinical populations.

Virtual reality in the assessment, understanding, and treatment of mental health disorders

“…Ferrer-García et al . 2015 ), with responses to VR food comparable with real food (Gorini et al . 2010 ), and there has even been an initial test of high-calorie food presented using augmented reality (Pallavicini et al .…”

A Randomised Controlled Comparison of Second‐Level Treatment Approaches for Treatment‐Resistant Adults with Bulimia Nervosa and Binge Eating Disorder: Assessing the Benefits of Virtual Reality Cue Exposure Therapy

“…It is worth noting, however, that in vivo CET also presents considerable logistical difficulties, a fact that may explain the decline in research in this type of intervention after the initial surge of studies (mentioned in the preceding texts) of its use for BN and BED (Ferrer‐Garcia, Gutierrez‐Maldonado, Treasure, & Vilalta‐Abella, ; Gutiérrez‐Maldonado, Wiederhold, & Riva, ; Gutiérrez‐Maldonado et al, ; Koskina et al, ). For instance, the in vivo CET requires patients to bring sufficient quantities of binge foods to the therapy sessions.…”

“…patient with BN and BED) groups. The food craving and anxiety experienced in VR environments are associated with trait and state food craving and anxiety assessed outside VR environments (Agliaro‐López, Ferrer‐Garcia, Pla‐Sanjuanelo, & Gutiérrez‐Maldonado, ; Ferrer‐Garcia, Gutiérrez‐Maldonado, Caqueo‐Urízar, & Moreno, ; Ferrer‐Garcia, Gutiérrez‐Maldonado, & Pla‐Sanjuanelo, ; Ferrer‐Garcia et al, ; Ferrer‐Garcia et al, ; Gorini, Griez, Petrova, & Riva, ; Perpiñá et al, ). There is even evidence that exposure to VR environments incorporating both specific stimuli (e.g .…”

Head-Mounted Virtual Reality and Mental Health: Critical Review of Current Research (Preprint)

“…These varied from body image disturbance (BID) [58,59], anorexia and bulimia nervosa [55][56][60][61], food cravings [57] and obesity [62]. VR's visual ability to induce cravings led to specific virtual reality craving exposure therapy (VRCET) being the most common form of intervention [55,57,63]. All three studies used computer monitors to view 3D images with polarised glasses.…”