Virtual Reality as a Tool to Study the Influence of the Eating Environment on Eating Behavior: A Feasibility Study

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Nutrition Science

Background:

• The eating environment significantly influences food intake and eating behavior.
• Traditional methods for studying environmental effects are limited in controlling variables.
• Virtual reality (VR) technology presents a potential solution for immersive environmental simulation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of different virtual reality eating environments on food intake and eating behavior.
• To assess participants' sensory evaluation, sense of presence, and physiological arousal in simulated environments.
• To explore the feasibility of using VR as a tool for studying the eating environment's influence.

Main Methods:

• Fifteen adults consumed pizza rolls in two VR environments: a simulated restaurant and an empty room.
• Measurements included food intake, masticatory parameters, eating rate, sensory evaluation, sense of presence, heart rate, and skin temperature.
• A within-subjects design was employed to compare the two VR conditions.

Main Results:

• No significant differences were found in overall food intake or sensory evaluation between the restaurant and empty room VR environments.
• Participants in the restaurant VR condition exhibited reduced masticatory cycles before swallowing, but eating rate and bite force were unaffected.
• A greater sense of presence, elevated heart rate, and increased skin temperature were observed in the restaurant VR setting.

Conclusions:

• Virtual reality can simulate different eating environments to study their effects on behavior and physiology.
• While not impacting overall intake, the restaurant environment induced greater immersion and physiological responses.
• VR technology shows promise as a novel tool for ecological research on eating behavior and environmental influences.