Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37226164›Full record

ArticleBMC medical informatics and decision making2023

Digital communication and virtual reality for extending the behavioural treatment of obesity - the patients' perspective: results of an online survey in Germany.

Claudia Luck-Sikorski, Regine Hochrein, Nina Döllinger, Carolin Wienrich, Kathrin Gemesi, Sophie Holzmann, Christina Holzapfel, Natascha-Alexandra Weinberger

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC medical informatics and decision making, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Claudia Luck-SikorskiResearch Group "Chronic Diseases and Psychological Health" (COPE), SRH University of Applied Health Sciences, Neue Str. 28-30, 07548, Gera, Germany. claudia.luck-sikorski@srh.de.
Regine HochreinResearch Group "Chronic Diseases and Psychological Health" (COPE), SRH University of Applied Health Sciences, Neue Str. 28-30, 07548, Gera, Germany.
Nina DöllingerHuman-Technology-Systems, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
Carolin WienrichHuman-Technology-Systems, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
Kathrin GemesiSchool of Medicine, Institute for Nutritional Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
Sophie HolzmannSchool of Medicine, Institute for Nutritional Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
Christina HolzapfelSchool of Medicine, Institute for Nutritional Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
Natascha-Alexandra WeinbergerResearch Group "Chronic Diseases and Psychological Health" (COPE), SRH University of Applied Health Sciences, Neue Str. 28-30, 07548, Gera, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCBT has been found effective for the treatment of EDs and obesity. However not all patients achieve clinically significant weight loss and weight regain is common. In this context, technology-based interventions can be used to enhance traditional CBT but are not yet widespread. This survey therefore explores the status quo of pathways of communication between patients and therapists, the use of digital applications for therapy as well as attitudes towards VR from the perspective of patients with obesity in Germany.

methodsThis cross-sectional online survey was conducted in October 2020. Participants were recruited digitally through social media, obesity associations and self-help groups. The standardized questionnaire included items concerning current treatment, paths of communication with their therapists, and attitudes toward VR. The descriptive analyses were performed with Stata.

resultsThe 152 participants were mostly female (90%), had a mean age of 46.5 years (SD = 9.2) and an average BMI of 43.0 kg/m² (SD = 8.4). Face-to-face communication with their therapist was considered of high importance in current treatment (M = 4.30; SD = 0.86) and messenger apps were the most frequently used digital application for communication. Participants were mostly neutral regarding the inclusion of VR methods in obesity treatment (M = 3.27; SD = 1.19). Only one participant had already used VR glasses as part of treatment. Participants considered VR suitable for exercises promoting body image change (M = 3.40; SD = 1.02). DISCUSSION: Technological approaches in obesity therapy are not widespread. Face-to-face communication remains the most important setting for treatment. Participants had low familiarity with VR but a neutral to positive attitude toward the technology. Further studies are needed to provide a clearer picture of potential treatment barriers or educational needs and to facilitate the transfer of developed VR systems into clinical practice.

Indexed as

Behavior TherapyCommunicationCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleGermanyHumansMaleMiddle AgedObesityAttitudesObesityTreatmentVirtual reality

Identifiers

PMID37226164
PMCPMC10206569

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.