Food IntakeNCT05169996
Virtual Reality Effects on Food Intake Game to Decrease Food Intake
A study testing Real Food, Real Nonfood and Virtual reality Food in people with Food Intake, run by Tilburg University at 1 site in Netherlands.
Trial summary
Aims: The first aim was to replicate the pre-exposure effect. This was done by assessing the effect of exposing participants to a puzzle game with real foods compared to real nonfoods on food intake. The second aim was to investigate the potential of VR for eliciting the pre-exposure effect. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 30 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Food Intake
- What is being tested?
- Real Food, Real Nonfood and Virtual reality Food
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 202 participants
- Where
- 1 siteNetherlands
- Study dates
- 9 May 2018to 26 Sep 2018
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 30 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- None (except for age 18-30)
Who cannot join
- Peanut allergy (self-reported)
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: Development and Evaluation of a Virtual Reality Puzzle Game to Decrease Food Intake
Aims:
- The first aim was to replicate the pre-exposure effect. This was done by assessing the effect of exposing participants to a puzzle game with real foods compared to real nonfoods on food intake.
- The second aim was to investigate the potential of VR for eliciting the pre-exposure effect. This was done by comparing the effect of a VR puzzle game with foods to a VR puzzle game with nonfoods on food intake.
- The third aim was to assess the effect of branding in VR on brand responses and the role of emotional responses herein. This was done by comparing a branded virtual puzzle game with foods with a (non-branded) virtual puzzle game with foods.
Study design: a randomized 2 (game: real vs virtual) x 2 (product: food vs non-food) between-subjects design lab experiment, the effectiveness of pre-exposure to food in a VR game is tested. A fifth condition was added ("VR x branded food") in order to examine brand effects.
Read the detailed description
Aim: Every day, people are exposed to a wide variety of tasty foods, which is thought to be the leading cause of overeating. However, subsequent intake is believed to decrease when individuals engage with foods outside an eating context in an unrelated task-this is called the pre-exposure effect. Thus far, this effect has only been found when tempting foods are physically present. The current study aims to examine whether the effect also occurs when hyper-realistic food is present in VR.
Virtual reality (VR) provides the ultimate level of immersion, creating a sense of physical presence in the three-dimensional virtual environment. Therefore, VR has a major potential for implementation of the pre-exposure effect in an intervention and to assess the underlying psychological mechanisms. The level of immersion is also thought to increase the effects of brand exposure. Here, a VR game was developed with realistic virtual foods and it was assessed in the lab whether interaction with virtual foods decreases subsequent food intake similarly as real foods do. In addition the effects of brand exposure in VR on brand-relevant outcomes were assessed.
Aims:
- The first aim was to replicate the pre-exposure effect. This was done by assessing the effect of exposing participants to a puzzle game with real foods compared to real nonfoods on food intake.
- The second aim was to investigate the potential of VR for eliciting the pre-exposure effect. This was done by comparing the effect of a VR puzzle game with foods to a VR puzzle game with nonfoods on food intake.
- The third aim was to assess the effect of branding in VR on brand responses and the role of emotional responses herein. This was done by comparing a branded virtual puzzle game with foods with a (non-branded) virtual puzzle game with foods.
Study design: In a randomized 2 (game: real vs virtual) x 2 (product: food vs non-food) between-subjects design lab experiment, the effectiveness of pre-exposure to food in a VR game is tested. A fifth condition was added ("VR x branded food") in order to examine brand effects.
- Conditions
- Food Intake
- Being tested
- Real Food, Real Nonfood, Virtual reality Food, Virtual reality Nonfood, Virtual reality Food Branded
- Keywords
- virtual reality, pre-exposure, food cravings
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Real FoodOther
The game was played while sitting behind a table in the lab. The task in the game was to finish a tangram puzzle. In the Real Food condition, the tangram pieces were tempting food products (i.e., pieces of chocolate). Players had to physically move the chocolate pieces with their hands and puzzle them together.
Real NonfoodOther
The game was played while sitting behind a table in the lab. The task in the game was to finish a tangram puzzle. In the Real Nonfood condition, the tangram pieces were plain pieces (i.e., pieces of wood). Players had to physically move the wooden pieces with their hands and puzzle them together.
Virtual reality FoodOther
The game was played by wearing a VR head-mounted display (HMD VR: HTC Vive) and people could interact in the virtual environment with the hand-held controllers. The task in the game was to finish a tangram puzzle. In the Virtual Reality Food condition, the tangram pieces were tempting food products (i.e., pieces of virtual chocolate). Players had to physically move the virtual chocolate pieces with the grab button on the controller and puzzle them together.
Virtual reality NonfoodOther
The game was played by wearing a VR head-mounted display (HMD VR: HTC Vive) and people could interact in the virtual environment with the hand-held controllers. The task in the game was to finish a tangram puzzle. In the Virtual Reality Nonfood condition, the tangram pieces were plain pieces (i.e., pieces of virtual wood). Players had to physically move the virtual wood pieces with the grab button on the controller and puzzle them together.
Virtual reality Food BrandedOther
The game was played by wearing a VR head-mounted display (HMD VR: HTC Vive) and people could interact in the virtual environment with the hand-held controllers. The task in the game was to finish a tangram puzzle. In the Virtual Reality Food condition, the tangram pieces were tempting food products (i.e., pieces of virtual chocolate). Players had to physically move the virtual chocolate pieces with the grab button on the controller and puzzle them together. In the background of the puzzle, a chocolate brand ('Milka') is shown
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Real Food | Experimental | Participants are exposed to a tangram game with puzzle pieces from chocolate. Receives: Other: Real Food |
| Real Nonfood | Experimental | Participants are exposed to a tangram game with puzzle pieces from wood. Receives: Other: Real Nonfood |
| Virtual reality Food | Experimental | Participants are exposed to a virtual reality experience with a tangram game with puzzle pieces from (virtual) chocolate. Receives: Other: Virtual reality Food |
| Virtual reality Nonfood | Experimental | Participants are exposed to a virtual reality experience with a tangram game with puzzle pieces from (virtual) wood. Receives: Other: Virtual reality Nonfood |
| Virtual reality Food Branded | Experimental | Participants are exposed to a virtual reality experience with a tangram game with puzzle pieces from (virtual) chocolate. In the background of the puzzle, a brand is shown. Receives: Other: Virtual reality Food Branded |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Food intake
Food intake (chocolates) in grams was measured by weighting the bowls of the taste test
Measured: During the lab session
Brand attitude
Brand attitude was measured using a six-item 7-point semantic differential scale ranging from 1 (i.e., 'bad', 'unappealing', 'unpleasant', 'unattractive', 'boring', 'dislike') to 7 ('good', 'appealing', 'pleasant', 'attractive', 'exciting', 'like'), with the item "Select the answers that best reflect your opinion of the chocolate brand Milka"
Measured: During the lab session
Purchase intention
Purchase intention was measured on a single-item 7-point scale ranging from 1 ('totally disagree') to 7 ('totally agree') by asking the participants to indicate how much they agreed with the statement "I am planning on buying Milka chocolate within the next seven days."
Measured: During the lab session
Secondary outcomes (5)
Virtual product appeal
One question was asked to measure virtual product appeal: 'How appealing was the chocolate you saw while playing the game?' This questions was answered on a visual analog scale ranging from 0 ('not appealing at all') to 100 ('extremely appealing').
Measured: During the lab session
Craving for virtual chocolate
One question was asked to measure craving for virtual chocolate: 'How much did you feel like eating the chocolate?'. This questions was answered on a 7-point scale ranging from 1 ('Not at all') to 7 ('A whole lot')
Measured: During the lab session
Emotional response
The self-assessment manikin (SAM) scales (Bradley \& Lang, 1994) were used for measuring emotional responses. For this self-reported measure of emotional response, participants were shown a row of five manikins per emotional dimension that differed in the level of arousal or valence they portrayed. For the scale measuring arousal, the first manikin seemed very calm, but the final one seemed very excited. Similarly, for the scale measuring valence, the first manikin seemed very sad, and the final one seemed very happy. The participants were asked to indicate their emotional state while playing the VR game on a 9-point response scale. Each odd number of the scale corresponded with one of the five manikins for arousal and valence.
Measured: During the lab session
Perceived entertainment value
Perceived entertaining value of the game was measured using a four-item 7-point scale ranging from 1 ('totally disagree') to 7 ('totally agree') (Martí-Parreno, Aldas-Manzano, Curras-Perez, \& Sanchez-García, 2013) with the following items: 'Playing the game has been enjoyable', 'I had fun playing the game', 'Playing the game has been pleasurable ', and 'Playing the game has been exciting '.
Measured: During the lab session
Game difficulty
Game difficulty was measured using a four-item ('To what extent did you find the game easy', 'To what extent did you feel like you were making progress towards the end of the game?', 'How well do you think you performed in the game?', and 'To what extent did you find the game challenging?') 7-point scale ranging from 1 ('not at all') to 7 ('very much so').
Measured: During the lab session
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted27 Dec 2021
- Study start9 May 2018
- Primary completion26 Sep 2018
- Study completion26 Sep 2018
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Food IntakeStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- In a 2 (game: real vs virtual) x 2 (product: food vs non-food) between-subjects design lab experiment, the effectiveness of pre-exposure to food in a VR game is tested. A fifth condition was added ("VR x branded food") in order to examine brand effects.
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 202 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Tilburg University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Laura Nynke van der Laan, Tilburg University
- Investigators
- Laura Nynke Laura Nynke, Dr. Ir., Principal investigator, Tilburg University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05169996
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2018-PC-9033
- Status last verified
- Dec 2021
- First submitted
- 26 Nov 2021
- Last updated
- 27 Dec 2021
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Publications
Liu Y, Stamos A, Dewitte S, van Berlo ZMC, van der Laan LN. Development and Evaluation of a Virtual Reality Puzzle Game to Decrease Food Intake: Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Serious Games. 2022 Feb 3;10(1):e31747. doi: 10.2196/31747.
PubMed 35113028
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 27 Dec 2021. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Development and Evaluation of a Virtual Reality Puzzle Game to Decrease Food Intake
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05169996
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 2018-PC-9033
- Conditions
- Food Intake
- Keywords
- virtual reality, pre-exposure, food cravings
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 202 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Tilburg UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 9 May 2018 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 26 Sep 2018 (actual)
- Study completion
- 26 Sep 2018 (actual)
- First posted
- 27 Dec 2021 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Aims:
- The first aim was to replicate the pre-exposure effect. This was done by assessing the effect of exposing participants to a puzzle game with real foods compared to real nonfoods on food intake.
- The second aim was to investigate the potential of VR for eliciting the pre-exposure effect. This was done by comparing the effect of a VR puzzle game with foods to a VR puzzle game with nonfoods on food intake.
- The third aim was to assess the effect of branding in VR on brand responses and the role of emotional responses herein. This was done by comparing a branded virtual puzzle game with foods with a (non-branded) virtual puzzle game with foods.
Study design: a randomized 2 (game: real vs virtual) x 2 (product: food vs non-food) between-subjects design lab experiment, the effectiveness of pre-exposure to food in a VR game is tested. A fifth condition was added ("VR x branded food") in order to examine brand effects.
Detailed description
Aim: Every day, people are exposed to a wide variety of tasty foods, which is thought to be the leading cause of overeating. However, subsequent intake is believed to decrease when individuals engage with foods outside an eating context in an unrelated task-this is called the pre-exposure effect. Thus far, this effect has only been found when tempting foods are physically present. The current study aims to examine whether the effect also occurs when hyper-realistic food is present in VR.
Virtual reality (VR) provides the ultimate level of immersion, creating a sense of physical presence in the three-dimensional virtual environment. Therefore, VR has a major potential for implementation of the pre-exposure effect in an intervention and to assess the underlying psychological mechanisms. The level of immersion is also thought to increase the effects of brand exposure. Here, a VR game was developed with realistic virtual foods and it was assessed in the lab whether interaction with virtual foods decreases subsequent food intake similarly as real foods do. In addition the effects of brand exposure in VR on brand-relevant outcomes were assessed.
Aims:
- The first aim was to replicate the pre-exposure effect. This was done by assessing the effect of exposing participants to a puzzle game with real foods compared to real nonfoods on food intake.
- The second aim was to investigate the potential of VR for eliciting the pre-exposure effect. This was done by comparing the effect of a VR puzzle game with foods to a VR puzzle game with nonfoods on food intake.
- The third aim was to assess the effect of branding in VR on brand responses and the role of emotional responses herein. This was done by comparing a branded virtual puzzle game with foods with a (non-branded) virtual puzzle game with foods.
Study design: In a randomized 2 (game: real vs virtual) x 2 (product: food vs non-food) between-subjects design lab experiment, the effectiveness of pre-exposure to food in a VR game is tested. A fifth condition was added ("VR x branded food") in order to examine brand effects.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (participant)
- Number of arms
- 5
- Model description
- In a 2 (game: real vs virtual) x 2 (product: food vs non-food) between-subjects design lab experiment, the effectiveness of pre-exposure to food in a VR game is tested. A fifth condition was added ("VR x branded food") in order to examine brand effects.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Real Food | Experimental | Other: Real FoodParticipants are exposed to a tangram game with puzzle pieces from chocolate. |
| Real Nonfood | Experimental | Other: Real NonfoodParticipants are exposed to a tangram game with puzzle pieces from wood. |
| Virtual reality Food | Experimental | Other: Virtual reality FoodParticipants are exposed to a virtual reality experience with a tangram game with puzzle pieces from (virtual) chocolate. |
| Virtual reality Nonfood | Experimental | Other: Virtual reality NonfoodParticipants are exposed to a virtual reality experience with a tangram game with puzzle pieces from (virtual) wood. |
| Virtual reality Food Branded | Experimental | Other: Virtual reality Food BrandedParticipants are exposed to a virtual reality experience with a tangram game with puzzle pieces from (virtual) chocolate. In the background of the puzzle, a brand is shown. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 30 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- None (except for age 18-30)
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Peanut allergy (self-reported)
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Real FoodThe game was played while sitting behind a table in the lab. The task in the game was to finish a tangram puzzle. In the Real Food condition, the tangram pieces were tempting food products (i.e., pieces of chocolate). Players had to physically move the chocolate pieces with their hands and puzzle them together. | Other | Real Food |
| Real NonfoodThe game was played while sitting behind a table in the lab. The task in the game was to finish a tangram puzzle. In the Real Nonfood condition, the tangram pieces were plain pieces (i.e., pieces of wood). Players had to physically move the wooden pieces with their hands and puzzle them together. | Other | Real Nonfood |
| Virtual reality FoodThe game was played by wearing a VR head-mounted display (HMD VR: HTC Vive) and people could interact in the virtual environment with the hand-held controllers. The task in the game was to finish a tangram puzzle. In the Virtual Reality Food condition, the tangram pieces were tempting food products (i.e., pieces of virtual chocolate). Players had to physically move the virtual chocolate pieces with the grab button on the controller and puzzle them together. | Other | Virtual reality Food |
| Virtual reality NonfoodThe game was played by wearing a VR head-mounted display (HMD VR: HTC Vive) and people could interact in the virtual environment with the hand-held controllers. The task in the game was to finish a tangram puzzle. In the Virtual Reality Nonfood condition, the tangram pieces were plain pieces (i.e., pieces of virtual wood). Players had to physically move the virtual wood pieces with the grab button on the controller and puzzle them together. | Other | Virtual reality Nonfood |
| Virtual reality Food BrandedThe game was played by wearing a VR head-mounted display (HMD VR: HTC Vive) and people could interact in the virtual environment with the hand-held controllers. The task in the game was to finish a tangram puzzle. In the Virtual Reality Food condition, the tangram pieces were tempting food products (i.e., pieces of virtual chocolate). Players had to physically move the virtual chocolate pieces with the grab button on the controller and puzzle them together. In the background of the puzzle, a chocolate brand ('Milka') is shown | Other | Virtual reality Food Branded |
Primary outcome
Food intake
Time frame: During the lab session
Food intake (chocolates) in grams was measured by weighting the bowls of the taste test
Brand attitude
Time frame: During the lab session
Brand attitude was measured using a six-item 7-point semantic differential scale ranging from 1 (i.e., 'bad', 'unappealing', 'unpleasant', 'unattractive', 'boring', 'dislike') to 7 ('good', 'appealing', 'pleasant', 'attractive', 'exciting', 'like'), with the item "Select the answers that best reflect your opinion of the chocolate brand Milka"
Purchase intention
Time frame: During the lab session
Purchase intention was measured on a single-item 7-point scale ranging from 1 ('totally disagree') to 7 ('totally agree') by asking the participants to indicate how much they agreed with the statement "I am planning on buying Milka chocolate within the next seven days."
5 secondary outcomes
Virtual product appeal
Time frame: During the lab session
Craving for virtual chocolate
Time frame: During the lab session
Emotional response
Time frame: During the lab session
Perceived entertainment value
Time frame: During the lab session
Game difficulty
Time frame: During the lab session
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 27 Dec 2021.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 35113028Liu Y, Stamos A, Dewitte S, van Berlo ZMC, van der Laan LN. Development and Evaluation of a Virtual Reality Puzzle Game to Decrease Food Intake: Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Serious Games. 2022 Feb 3;10(1):e31747. doi: 10.2196/31747.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Laura Nynke Laura Nynke, Dr. Ir. principal investigator
Tilburg University
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Real Food, Real Nonfood and Virtual reality Food in people with Food Intake, run by Tilburg University at 1 site in Netherlands.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 27 Dec 2021. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Netherlands. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Food intake (time frame: During the lab session). The study lists 3 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT05169996, which also lists 1 linked publication.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 27 Dec 2021.