Exergaming, Virtual Reality Physical Activity, Workplace Exercise
Conditions
Brief summary
The goal of this trial is to learn how different exercise formats used during workplace breaks affect the immediate physical and emotional responses of office employees. It will also examine participants' leisure experience and the usability of virtual reality exercise. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Do gamified virtual reality exercise, instructor-led virtual reality exercise, and traditional video exercise produce different changes in heart rate and perceived effort? * Do these exercise formats produce different changes in how pleasant or unpleasant and how activated participants feel? * Do the exercise formats differ in positive and negative experiences, flow, exercise enjoyment, and satisfaction with the activity? * Do the two virtual reality formats differ in system usability and virtual reality-related discomfort? Researchers will compare the three exercise formats to identify differences in participants' immediate responses and experiences. Participants will: * Complete three 10-minute exercise sessions on separate days and in a randomly assigned order * Take part in a gamified virtual reality boxing session, an instructor-led virtual reality exercise session, and a traditional video exercise session * Wear a heart rate monitor and complete brief questionnaires before and after the sessions
Interventions
BEHAVIORALGamified Virtual Reality Exergaming (GVRE)
Participants will complete one 10-minute gamified virtual reality exergaming session using the FitXR BOX mode, a Meta Quest 3 headset, and handheld controllers. Participants will perform boxing-based whole-body movements involving virtual targets. The intervention includes game-related elements such as scoring, pacing, performance tracking, and real-time visual and auditory feedback.
BEHAVIORALSerious Virtual Reality Exergaming (SVRE)
Participants will complete one 10-minute serious virtual reality exergaming session using the FitXR SCULPT mode and a Meta Quest 3 headset. Participants will follow structured whole-body exercise movements demonstrated by a virtual instructor. The condition emphasizes movement guidance and exercise performance and contains minimal game-related elements.
BEHAVIORALTraditional Video Exercise (TVE)
Participants will complete one 10-minute video-based exercise session. Participants will follow an instructor displayed on a two-dimensional screen without using a virtual reality headset. The exercise content will correspond to the serious virtual reality exergaming condition but will not include virtual reality interaction or game-related elements. This intervention will serve as the active comparison condition.
Sponsors
Akdeniz University
The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
24 Years to 60 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Aged between 24 and 60 years * Being a healthy adult employed full-time in an administrative office-based position at Akdeniz University * Having worked full-time in the current administrative unit for at least one year * Having a low or moderate physical activity level according to the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF) * Not engaging in regular exercise * Having no health condition that contraindicates participation in physical activity according to the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q) * Not having regularly used active virtual reality technologies within the previous six months
Exclusion criteria
* A history of epilepsy, migraine, vertigo, or vestibular disorder * A history of dizziness, nausea, or similar discomfort during virtual reality exposure * Current use of antidepressants or medications that affect the central nervous system * A history of neurological, cardiovascular, or orthopedic disease, except for controlled hypertension * Pregnancy * Presence of a visual or hearing impairment
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Resting and Mean Exercise Heart Rate | During each of the three experimental sessions: during the 3-minute pre-intervention rest period and continuously throughout the 10-minute intervention | Heart rate will be continuously recorded in beats per minute (bpm) using a Polar H10 chest-strap sensor. For each experimental condition, resting heart rate will be defined as the mean heart rate recorded during the 3-minute rest period immediately before the intervention. Mean exercise heart rate will be defined as the mean heart rate recorded throughout the 10-minute exercise session. The effects of the intervention conditions on heart rate will be evaluated by comparing resting and mean exercise heart rate values across the gamified virtual reality exergaming, serious virtual reality exergaming, and traditional video exercise conditions. |
| Change in Rating of Perceived Exertion | Immediately before and immediately after each 10-minute intervention during each of the three experimental sessions | Perceived exertion will be assessed using the Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion Scale, which ranges from 6 (no exertion or very, very light exertion) to 20 (maximal exertion). The outcome will be saved as the post-intervention score and the pre-intervention score for each condition. A higher positive value indicates a greater increase in perceived exertion. |
| Change in Affective Valence Assessed With the Feeling Scale | Immediately before and immediately after each 10-minute intervention during each of the three experimental sessions | Affective valence will be assessed using the single-item Feeling Scale. The Feeling Scale measures current affective valence on an 11-point bipolar scale ranging from -5 (very bad; minimum possible score) to +5 (very good; maximum possible score). Higher scores indicate more positive affective valence and a better outcome. The scale will be administered immediately before and immediately after each intervention. Pre-intervention and post-intervention scores will be retained as separate observations and analyzed across the three intervention conditions; no separate change score will be calculated. |
| Change in Felt Arousal Assessed With the Felt Arousal Scale | Immediately before and immediately after each 10-minute intervention during each of the three experimental sessions | Felt arousal will be assessed using the single-item Felt Arousal Scale, which ranges from 1 (low arousal) to 6 (high arousal). The outcome will be saved as the post-intervention score and the pre-intervention score for each condition. A higher positive value indicates a greater increase in felt arousal. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Positive and Negative Experience | Immediately before and immediately after each 10-minute intervention during each of the three experimental sessions | Positive and negative experience will be assessed using the 12-item Scale of Positive and Negative Experience (SPANE). The scale consists of six positive-experience items and six negative-experience items, each rated on a 5-point scale from 1 (never) to 5 (always). Separate scores will be calculated for the positive experience subscale (SPANE-P) and the negative experience subscale (SPANE-N). Each subscale score ranges from 6 to 30. Higher SPANE-P scores indicate greater positive experience, whereas higher SPANE-N scores indicate greater negative experience. The scale will be administered immediately before and immediately after each intervention, and pre- and post-intervention scores for both subscales will be compared across the three intervention conditions. |
| Flow State | Immediately after each 10-minute intervention during each of the three experimental sessions | Flow state will be assessed using the nine-item state version of the Short Flow State Scale-2. The scale evaluates dimensions of the immediate flow experience, including challenge-skill balance, action-awareness merging, clear goals, unambiguous feedback, concentration, sense of control, loss of self-consciousness, transformation of time, and autotelic experience. Each item is rated on a 5-point scale from 1 (do not agree at all) to 5 (completely agree). Higher total scores indicate a more intense flow experience. |
| Exercise Enjoyment | Immediately after each 10-minute intervention during each of the three experimental sessions | Exercise enjoyment will be assessed using the eight-item Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PACES-8). Each of the eight bipolar items is scored from 1 to 7 in the direction of greater enjoyment. The item scores are summed to produce a total score ranging from 8 (minimum possible score) to 56 (maximum possible score). Higher total scores indicate greater exercise enjoyment and a better outcome. The scale will be administered immediately after each intervention. |
| Activity Satisfaction | Immediately after each 10-minute intervention during each of the three experimental sessions | Activity satisfaction will be assessed using the three-item Activity Satisfaction Scale. Each item is rated on a 7-point scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (completely agree). Higher scores indicate greater satisfaction with the exercise activity completed during the experimental session. |
| System Usability | Immediately after each of the two 10-minute virtual reality interventions: GVRE and SVRE | Perceived system usability will be assessed using the 10-item System Usability Scale. Each item is rated on a 5-point scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). The scale evaluates participants' perceptions of the effectiveness, efficiency, ease of use, and overall usability of the virtual reality system. Higher scores indicate better perceived system usability. |
| Virtual Reality Discomfort | Immediately after each of the two 10-minute virtual reality interventions: GVRE and SVRE | Virtual reality-related discomfort will be assessed using the nine-item Virtual Reality Discomfort Scale. The scale evaluates two dimensions of discomfort: oculomotor symptoms, such as eye strain and blurred vision, and disorientation symptoms, such as dizziness and nausea. Each item is rated on a 4-point scale from 0 (none) to 3 (severe). Higher scores indicate greater virtual reality-related discomfort. |
Countries
Turkey (Türkiye)
Contacts
STUDY_DIRECTORTennur Yerlisu Lapa, PhD
Akdeniz University
Outcome results
None listed