Acute Effect of Virtual Reality Exercise on Young Adults' Energy Expenditure and Psychological Outcomes

PURPOSE: The study examined the effects of four modalities of acute exercise interventions on young adults’ energy expenditure (EE), self-efficacy (SE), and enjoyment. METHODS: Seventy-one (29 female; Mage = 22.18 years) participants were recruited for four 12-minute exercise sessions: 1) immersive VR biking using the VirZoom VR bike with PlayStation 4; 2) non-immersive VR biking B on a Game Rider EZ Gaming Bike; 3) non-immersive VR biking A using an Xbox 360 on a Gamercize Bike; and 4) traditional biking on a Spirit Fitness XBU55 Bike. An ActiGraph accelerometer was used to evaluate EE during the sessions. Surveys measuring SE and enjoyment were administered following each session. The influence of prior VR experience was accounted for as a covariate in an ANCOVA, which analyzed mean differences across all outcomes for each session. RESULTS: Significant mean differences were found in EE [F (3, 272) = 12.129, p < 0.01], SE [F (3, 279) = 9.706, p < 0.01], and enjoyment [F (3, 279) = 20.747, p < 0.01] among four sessions. The covariate was significant, suggesting it is an important predictor of EE, [F (1, 272) = 4.701, p < 0.03]. Whilst controlling the effect of covariate for all outcomes, our data indicated that EE (activity kcals) of immersive VR biking (238 ± 8.16), non-immersive VR biking A (190 ± 8.28), and traditional biking (250 ± 8.22) were lower than non-immersive VR biking B (251 ± 8.16). Moreover, SE of immersive VR biking (12.9 ± 0.277) was higher than non-immersive VR biking A (11 ± 0.277), non-immersive VR biking B (11.6 ± 0. 0.277), and traditional biking (12.6 ± 0.277). Additionally, enjoyment of immersive VR biking (17.1 ± 0.411) and non-immersive VR biking A (14.1 ± 0.411), and non-immersive VR biking B (14.5 ± 0.411) were higher than traditional biking (12.6 ± 0.411). CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that immersive VR biking exercise might enhance SE and enjoyment in healthy young adults more effectively than non-immersive VR or traditional biking exercises. Interestingly, traditional biking exercise appears to result in greater EE than immersive VR biking, especially when taking into account prior VR experience. Consequently, immersive VR-based exercise presents an enjoyable and engaging way to encourage physical activity among young adults.