Investigating exercise intensity in virtual reality among healthy volunteers

Purpose. Currently, few studies have presented comprehensive reports on exercise intensity in virtual reality among healthy subjects. The aim of the paper was to evaluate the energy expenditure of young individuals during an active game in virtual reality. Methods. A total of 32 healthy adults, 12 males and 20 females, were examined. Their mean age was 20.6 (± 1.4) years. The average BMI equalled 23.29 (± 2.3) kg/m². The subjects participated in 15-minute training sessions, with the frequency of 4 sessions weekly, for 2 weeks. Xbox 360^® and Kinect^® Adventures software were used for the virtual reality training. Energy expenditure expressed in kcal, metabolic equivalent of task (MET), and the number of steps were the primary outcomes. The SenseWear Armband was used to assess energy expenditure. The study applied the Xbox 360 console along with a Kinect motion sensor. Results. During one day of training, the average energy value was 3.7 MET and 46 kcal. During one session, 318 steps were noted. The analysis of all predictors between trainings of each single day did not show any statistically significant difference. Conclusions. Training in virtual reality with the application of the Kinect system provides health benefits and can be an alternative to traditional physical activity. However, 15 minutes of daily training cannot be the only basis for physical activity.