Horne, M orcid.org/0000-0002-6153-8547, Hill, A orcid.org/0000-0003-3192-0427, Murells, T et al. (4 more authors) (2020) Using avatars in weight management settings: A systematic review. Internet Interventions, 19. 100295. ISSN 2214-7829
Abstract
Background: Obesity interventions rely predominantly on managing dietary intake and/or increasing physical activity but sustained adherence to behavioural regimens is often poor. Avatar technology is well established within the computer gaming industry and evidence suggests that virtual representations of self may impact real-world behaviour, acting as a catalyst for sustained weight loss behaviour modification. However, the effectiveness of avatar technology in promoting weight loss is unclear.
Aims:We aimed to assess the quantity and quality of empirical support for the use of avatar technologies in adult weight loss interventions.
Method: A systematic review of empirical studies was undertaken. The key objectives were to determine if: (i) the inclusion of avatar technology leads to greater weight loss achievement compared to routine intervention; and (ii) whether weight loss achievement is improved by avatar personalisation (avatar visually reflects self).
Results: We identified 6 papers that reported weight loss data. Avatar-based interventions for weight loss management were found to be effective in the short (4–6 weeks) and medium (3–6 months) term and improved weight loss maintenance in the long term (12 months). Only 2 papers included avatar personalisation, but results suggested there may be some added motivational benefit.
Conclusions: The current evidence supports that avatars may positively impact weight loss achievement and improve motivation. However, with only 6 papers identified the evidence base is limited and therefore findings need to be interpreted with caution.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) |
Keywords: | Obesity; Weight loss; Avatars; Virtual reality; Second life; Systematic review |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Medicine and Health (Leeds) > School of Healthcare (Leeds) > Nursing Adult (Leeds) The University of Leeds > Faculty of Medicine and Health (Leeds) > School of Medicine (Leeds) > Leeds Institute of Health Sciences (Leeds) > Academic Unit of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences (Leeds) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number NIHR National Inst Health Research PB-PG-1215-20016 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 05 Dec 2019 12:12 |
Last Modified: | 03 Jan 2020 16:28 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.invent.2019.100295 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:153869 |