Immersive Virtual Reality and its Influence on Physiological Parameters in Healthy People

Abstract

The use of active video games or exergames has been booming recently, as they are motivating and promote exercise and healthy lifestyle habits for their users, and these immersive virtual reality (IVR) exercise programs could be compared to traditional physical exercise programs. A starting point for this would be to explore the physiological responses that can be generated by its use. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to evaluate the response across certain physiological parameters (heart rate, blood pressure and stress) after an IVR exergame exposure in a sample of healthy adults, and secondarily to explore its feasibility and usefulness as a tool to facilitate physical exercise. 37 healthy adults (22-54 years, 54.1% women) participated in the study. They carried out one exergaming session with the HTC Vive ProTM hardware. The primary outcome was evaluated using the concentration of cortisol, heart rate and blood pressure. Secondary outcomes were evaluated with safety using the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ); usability evaluated with the System Usability Scale (SUS); personal experiences evaluated with Game Experience Questionnaire (GEQ) and perceived exertion through the Borg perceived effort scale. All participants completed the IVR session without significant adverse effects, and all physiological parameters analysed increased significantly in relation to pre-intervention levels. Perceived exertion corresponded to a moderate to intense exercise (6.30±0.50/10 on the modified Borg scale). All the sample considered the experience as good or very good and would recommend it. These findings support that our IVR session can be compared to a moderate to intense physical activity, as it involved similar perceived exertion with significant increases in heart rate, blood pressure and salivary cortisol levels.