Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40281552›Full record

Trial reportBMC medical informatics and decision making2025

Virtual body image exercises for people with obesity - results on eating behavior and body perception of the ViTraS pilot study.

Kathrin Gemesi, Nina Döllinger, Natascha-Alexandra Weinberger, Erik Wolf, David Mal, Sebastian Keppler, Stephan Wenninger, Emily Bader, Carolin Wienrich, Claudia Luck-Sikorski and 4 more

Abstract readClinical TrialMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Trial report in BMC medical informatics and decision making, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing 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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
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

14 authors.

Kathrin GemesiInstitute for Nutritional Medicine, School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
Nina DöllingerPsychology of Intelligent Interactive Systems (PIIS) Group, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
Natascha-Alexandra WeinbergerSRH, University of Applied Health Sciences, Research Group "Chronic Diseases and Psychological Health" (COPE), Gera, Germany.
Erik WolfHuman-Computer Interaction (HCI) Group, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
David MalHuman-Computer Interaction (HCI) Group, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
Sebastian KepplerHuman-Centered Immersive Systems (CENTIS) Group, HTW Berlin - University of Applied Sciences, Berlin, Germany.
Stephan WenningerComputer Graphics Group, Technical University of Dortmund, Dortmund, Germany.
Emily BaderInstitute for Nutritional Medicine, School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
Carolin WienrichPsychology of Intelligent Interactive Systems (PIIS) Group, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
Claudia Luck-SikorskiSRH, University of Applied Health Sciences, Research Group "Chronic Diseases and Psychological Health" (COPE), Gera, Germany.
Marc Erich LatoschikHuman-Computer Interaction (HCI) Group, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
Johann Habakuk IsraelHuman-Centered Immersive Systems (CENTIS) Group, HTW Berlin - University of Applied Sciences, Berlin, Germany.
Mario BotschComputer Graphics Group, Technical University of Dortmund, Dortmund, Germany.
Christina HolzapfelInstitute for Nutritional Medicine, School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany. christina.holzapfel@tum.de.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundA negative body image can have an impact on developing and maintaining obesity. Using virtual reality (VR) to conduct cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an innovative approach to treat people with obesity. This multicenter non-randomized pilot study examined the feasibility and the effect on eating behavior and body perception of a newly developed VR system to conduct body image exercises.

methodsParticipants with a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30.0 kg/m

resultsIn total, 66 participants (VR intervention: 31, non-VR intervention: 35) were included. The majority was female (52/66, 78.8 %), the mean age was 45.0 ± 12.8 years, and the mean BMI was 36.8 ± 4.3 kg/m

conclusionsThe intervention with the developed VR system was feasible and the virtual and traditional body image exercises resulted in statistically non-significant weight loss. It seems that single focus on body image is not successful in improving eating behavior and body perception in people with obesity. Long-term human intervention studies with larger sample sizes are necessary to examine the efficacy of integrating this kind of VR system into standard obesity therapy.

trial registrationThis study was registered in the German Clinical Trials Register (Registration number: DRKS00027906, Date of registration: 8

Indexed as

Body ImageCognitive Behavioral TherapyExercise TherapyFeeding BehaviorObesityVirtual RealityAdultBody Mass IndexFeasibility StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPilot ProjectsCognitive behavioral therapyFeasibilityMirror expositionVirtual reality

Identifiers

PMID40281552
PMCPMC12023441

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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.