SynthesisInternational journal of environmental research and public health2022
The Effectiveness of Virtual Reality Interventions on Smoking, Nutrition, Alcohol, Physical Activity and/or Obesity Risk Factors: A Systematic Review.
Synthesis in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 31 citations in OpenAlex.
- Virtual Reality in Prevention and Treatment of Substance-Related Disorders: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.Clinical psychology & psychotherapyPooled it
- Actual and Virtual Parks Benefit Quality of Life and Physical Activity: A Cluster Trial.Journal of urban health : bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine · 2024Trial
- Psychophysiological Responses in Virtual Reality for Assessing Current Nicotine Use and Future Addiction Risk Among Young Adults: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Study.JMIR research protocols · 2026Article
- Usefulness of a virtual reality programme for body self-image in obese and overweight patients: a focus on gender differences - a randomised trial.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2026Article
- A combined diving and mindfulness program as a catalyst for behavioural change in adults with obesity: a qualitative study.International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being · 2025Article
- Developing novel smoking cessation resources for Aboriginal people who smoke tobacco and their healthcare providers: a mixed methods study.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- Effectiveness and Adherence of Standalone Digital Tobacco Cessation Modalities: A Systematic Review of Systematic Reviews.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Acceptability of and Willingness to Use Virtual Reality Exergames for Weight Loss Among Young Adults With Overweight or Obesity in China: Qualitative Study.JMIR serious games · 2025Article
- Effectiveness and Adherence of Pharmacological vs. Non-Pharmacological Technology-Supported Smoking Cessation Interventions: An Umbrella Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Perceptions of Immersive Virtual Reality for Physical Activity Among Individuals with Hypertension at Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: A Qualitative Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- The Role of Virtual Reality in Childhood Obesity Treatment: A Narrative Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Review
- Effectiveness and acceptance of virtual reality vs. traditional exercise in obese adults: a pilot randomized trial.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2025Article
- Digital communication and virtual reality for extending the behavioural treatment of obesity - the patients' perspective: results of an online survey in Germany.BMC medical informatics and decision making · 2023Article
- Rehabilitation Is the Main Topic in Virtual and Augmented Reality and Physical Activity Research: A Bibliometric Analysis.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Article
- Smoking Cessation in Primary Care: A Narrative Review of Evidence-Based Treatment, Emerging Technology, and Harm Reduction Approaches.Journal of primary care & community healthReview
- Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
To our knowledge, no systematic reviews have examined the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) interventions across all smoking, nutrition, alcohol, physical activity, and/or obesity (SNAPO) risk factors. This systematic review assessed the effectiveness of VR interventions on reducing SNAPO risks compared to control groups or other interventions. MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, PsycINFO, and CENTRAL were searched to identify eligible studies published to 7 October 2021. Two reviewers independently completed screening, data extraction and quality assessment. Twenty-six studies were included, five on smoking, twelve on physical activity (PA), six on obesity, one on PA and obesity, one on obesity and nutrition, and one on obesity, nutrition and PA. VR was effective for smoking cessation in three studies and for smoking reduction in four studies. Seven studies had significantly higher PA in the VR group, and one study found significantly higher PA in a comparator group. Two studies showed VR was more effective at reducing BMI or weight than comparators. Three multiple health risks studies showed mixed results. The remaining studies found no significant difference between VR and control/comparators. VR appears promising for the treatment of smoking, nutrition, PA, and obesity risks; however, further randomised trials are needed.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.