Similarities and differences between eating disorders and obese patients in a virtual environment for normalizing...

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Virtual reality (VR) shows potential for treating eating disorders (ED).
• Limited research exists on VR's efficacy in obesity treatment.
• Understanding patient perception of virtual environments (VEs) is crucial for therapeutic applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• Compare reality judgment of VEs between ED and obese patients.
• Investigate predictors of perceived reality when virtually consuming high-fat foods.
• Assess VR's utility as a virtual laboratory for eating behavior research and obesity treatment.

Main Methods:

• A non-immersive virtual environment (VE) was presented to participants.
• Participants included individuals with ED, obese individuals, and a non-clinical control group (N=62).
• Reality judgment, presence, and other subjective measures were collected post-exposure.

Main Results:

• All groups rated VE quality, interaction, and engagement similarly.
• ED patients reported higher emotional involvement, attention, reality judgment, and negative effects.
• Obese patients reported lower reality judgment, satisfaction, and spatial presence.

Conclusions:

• Preliminary findings indicate differential VR experiences between ED and obese patients.
• VR may serve as a valuable tool for studying eating behaviors and developing obesity interventions.
• Tailoring VEs to specific patient groups may enhance therapeutic outcomes.