Healthy ParticipantsNCT07168759
Educational VR Game Intervention to Enhance Hygiene Practices in Primary School Children
A study testing VR game -based education program in people with Healthy Participants, run by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University at 1 site in China.
Trial summary
The goal of this observational study is to investigate if VR game-based educational intervention can enhance primary schoolchildren's compliance with hygiene practices to prevent the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and other upper respiratory pathogens in the community. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 6 to 12 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Healthy Participants
- What is being tested?
- VR game -based education program
- Type of treatment
- Vaccines
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 2,160 participants
- Where
- 1 siteChina
- Study dates
- 2 May 2023to Dec 2025
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
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 6 to 12 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Child
Who may be able to join
- Primary schoolchildren aged 6-12 years.
- Able to communicate in Chinese and to read Chinese.
Who cannot join
- Reported mental or physical health disorders.
- Participated in other health educational programs related to hygiene practices 2 months or less before recruitment.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
About this study
Official title: An Educational Intervention Using a Virtual Reality Game to Improve Compliance With Coronavirus 2019 Disease-related Hygiene Practices and Participation in Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Screening, for the Prevention of SARS-CoV-2 Transmission Between Primary Schoolchildren in Communities: a Stratified Cluster-randomised Controlled Trial
The goal of this observational study is to investigate if VR game-based educational intervention can enhance primary schoolchildren's compliance with hygiene practices to prevent the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and other upper respiratory pathogens in the community.
The main questions the study aims to answer are, after receiving the VR game-based education intervention:
Read more
- Does VR game-based educational intervention improve hygiene-practice compliance in primary schoolchildren?
- What are the bacterial loads on primary schoolchildren's hands?
- What are the rates of infections caused by SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses in primary schoolchildren?
Researchers will compare the interventional group to the control group to see if VR game-based educational intervention can enhance primary schoolchildren's hygiene practices.
Participants will
- Receive in a training programme on hygiene practices through playing VR games for two weeks, 1 hour per week.
- Do a questionnaire on hygiene knowledge before and after receiving the education programme
- Provide hand swabs and saliva samples before and after receiving the education programme
Read the detailed description
This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a VR game (VRG)-based educational program on hygiene practices among primary schoolchildren in Hong Kong. The research design employs a randomized controlled trial with repeated measures.
Participants will be primary schoolchildren aged 6 to 12 who can communicate and read in Chinese. To minimize selection bias, children will remain unaware of their group assignments. The sample size calculation aims for a statistical power of at least 0.8, targeting 2160 participants across 18 school clusters. Thirty-six local primary schools will be randomly assign to the intervention group or the control group in a ratio of 1:1.
The pilot phase will refine the VRG educational program based on feedback from a previous intervention. Two schools will be selected for this pilot, where trained teachers will assist in student recruitment. The main intervention will involve an VRG-based educational program delivered over two to three weeks. Children in the intervention group will engage with VRGs that cover topics such as SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus transmission, hygiene practices, importance of rapid testing and vaccination in the prevention of upper respiratory tract infections. The control group will receive standard community health education and will be invited to participate in the VRG program after the intervention period.
Each child's involvement will last six months, with assessments occurring at baseline (T1) and at two subsequent intervals: immediately-post (T2), 1-month post (T3). Data collection will include demographic data, questionnaire to assesses hygiene knowledge, videos to record handwashing practices, hand swabs to measures bacterial loads on hands and saliva samples to tests for respiratory viruses.
- Conditions
- Healthy Participants
- Being tested
- VR game -based education program
- Keywords
- VR games, Hygiene compliance, Hand hygiene, Upper respiratory tract infections, Schoolchildren
- Medical subject headings
- Respiratory Tract Infections
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
VR game -based education programOther
The schoolchildren in the intervention group participate in an innovative VR game-based educational programme featuring: (1) Web-based health education on (i) SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza virus transmission, (ii) proper hand and respiratory hygiene practices and (iii) the importance of rapid screening and vaccination in the prevention of upper respiratory tract infections.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Intervention group | Experimental | School children will participate in a VR game-based education programme Receives: Other: VR game -based education program |
| Control group | No intervention | Schoolchildren in this group will receive the usual health education |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Change from baseline in the compliance with hygiene practices immediately after intervention
Knowledge of hygiene practices assessed through a true/false questionnaire.
Measured: Day 0, Month 1, Month 2
Change from baseline in the number of participants who comply with hand washing procedures immediately after intervention
Hand washing procedure compliance measured using video recordings.
Measured: Day 0, Month 1, Month 2
Change from baseline in the number of bacteria on the hands of the participants immediately after intervention
Bacterial counts on the hands of participants will be assessed using hand swab sampling and quantitative microbiological analysis. Specifically, hand swabs will be collected from the participants before and after intervention. This will be followed by using plate count method to detect the number of bacterial cells present on the hand swabs collected from the participants.
Measured: Day 0, Month 1, Month 2
Change from baseline in the vaccination uptake rates by the participants immediately after intervention
Data on vaccination uptake rates will be collected from the participants using a standardized questionnaire before and after intervention. The data will be aggregated to calculate the percentage change in vaccination uptake rates from pre- to post-intervention.
Measured: Day 0, Month 1, Month 2
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted11 Sep 2025
- Study start2 May 2023
- Primary completion31 Oct 2025 (estimated)
- Study completionDec 2025 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Healthy ParticipantsStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by The Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- 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
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 2,160 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07168759
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- HMRF2025
- Status last verified
- Jun 2025
- First submitted
- 17 Jul 2025
- Last updated
- 11 Sep 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 11 Sep 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- An Educational Intervention Using a Virtual Reality Game to Improve Compliance With Coronavirus 2019 Disease-related Hygiene Practices and Participation in Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Screening, for the Prevention of SARS-CoV-2 Transmission Between Primary Schoolchildren in Communities: a Stratified Cluster-randomised Controlled Trial
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07168759
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- HMRF2025
- Conditions
- Healthy Participants
- Keywords
- VR games, Hygiene compliance, Hand hygiene, Upper respiratory tract infections, Schoolchildren
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Enrolling by invitation
- Enrolment
- 2,160 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- The Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 2 May 2023 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 31 Oct 2025 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Dec 2025 (estimated)
- First posted
- 11 Sep 2025 (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.
The goal of this observational study is to investigate if VR game-based educational intervention can enhance primary schoolchildren's compliance with hygiene practices to prevent the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and other upper respiratory pathogens in the community.
The main questions the study aims to answer are, after receiving the VR game-based education intervention:
- Does VR game-based educational intervention improve hygiene-practice compliance in primary schoolchildren?
- What are the bacterial loads on primary schoolchildren's hands?
- What are the rates of infections caused by SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses in primary schoolchildren?
Researchers will compare the interventional group to the control group to see if VR game-based educational intervention can enhance primary schoolchildren's hygiene practices.
Participants will
- Receive in a training programme on hygiene practices through playing VR games for two weeks, 1 hour per week.
- Do a questionnaire on hygiene knowledge before and after receiving the education programme
- Provide hand swabs and saliva samples before and after receiving the education programme
Detailed description
This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a VR game (VRG)-based educational program on hygiene practices among primary schoolchildren in Hong Kong. The research design employs a randomized controlled trial with repeated measures.
Participants will be primary schoolchildren aged 6 to 12 who can communicate and read in Chinese. To minimize selection bias, children will remain unaware of their group assignments. The sample size calculation aims for a statistical power of at least 0.8, targeting 2160 participants across 18 school clusters. Thirty-six local primary schools will be randomly assign to the intervention group or the control group in a ratio of 1:1.
The pilot phase will refine the VRG educational program based on feedback from a previous intervention. Two schools will be selected for this pilot, where trained teachers will assist in student recruitment. The main intervention will involve an VRG-based educational program delivered over two to three weeks. Children in the intervention group will engage with VRGs that cover topics such as SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus transmission, hygiene practices, importance of rapid testing and vaccination in the prevention of upper respiratory tract infections. The control group will receive standard community health education and will be invited to participate in the VRG program after the intervention period.
Each child's involvement will last six months, with assessments occurring at baseline (T1) and at two subsequent intervals: immediately-post (T2), 1-month post (T3). Data collection will include demographic data, questionnaire to assesses hygiene knowledge, videos to record handwashing practices, hand swabs to measures bacterial loads on hands and saliva samples to tests for respiratory viruses.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (participant)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Intervention group | Experimental | Other: VR game -based education programSchool children will participate in a VR game-based education programme |
| Control group | No intervention | –Schoolchildren in this group will receive the usual health education |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 6 to 12 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Child
Key inclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Primary schoolchildren aged 6-12 years.
- Able to communicate in Chinese and to read Chinese.
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Reported mental or physical health disorders.
- Participated in other health educational programs related to hygiene practices 2 months or less before recruitment.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| VR game -based education programThe schoolchildren in the intervention group participate in an innovative VR game-based educational programme featuring: (1) Web-based health education on (i) SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza virus transmission, (ii) proper hand and respiratory hygiene practices and (iii) the importance of rapid screening and vaccination in the prevention of upper respiratory tract infections. | Other | Intervention group |
Primary outcome
Change from baseline in the compliance with hygiene practices immediately after intervention
Time frame: Day 0, Month 1, Month 2
Knowledge of hygiene practices assessed through a true/false questionnaire.
Change from baseline in the number of participants who comply with hand washing procedures immediately after intervention
Time frame: Day 0, Month 1, Month 2
Hand washing procedure compliance measured using video recordings.
Change from baseline in the number of bacteria on the hands of the participants immediately after intervention
Time frame: Day 0, Month 1, Month 2
Bacterial counts on the hands of participants will be assessed using hand swab sampling and quantitative microbiological analysis. Specifically, hand swabs will be collected from the participants before and after intervention. This will be followed by using plate count method to detect the number of bacterial cells present on the hand swabs collected from the participants.
Change from baseline in the vaccination uptake rates by the participants immediately after intervention
Time frame: Day 0, Month 1, Month 2
Data on vaccination uptake rates will be collected from the participants using a standardized questionnaire before and after intervention. The data will be aggregated to calculate the percentage change in vaccination uptake rates from pre- to post-intervention.
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 11 Sep 2025.
- 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.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing VR game -based education program in people with Healthy Participants, run by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University at 1 site in China.
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 2 inclusion and 2 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: enrolling by invitation, as of the sponsor's last update on 11 Sep 2025. 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 China. 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?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
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?
Change from baseline in the compliance with hygiene practices immediately after intervention (time frame: Day 0, Month 1, Month 2). The study lists 4 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
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 11 Sep 2025.