Effectiveness of virtual and augmented reality-enhanced exercise on physical activity, psychological outcomes, and physical performance: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

an article by Yu-Leung Ng (Hong Kong Baptist University), Flora Ma and King-wa Fu (The University of Hong Kong, Eliot Hall) and Frederick K. Ho and Patrick Ip (The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital) published in Computers in Human Behavior Volume 99 (October 2019)

Highlights

• This study compared VR- and AR-exercise and traditional and no-exercise programs.
• VR training programs were effective for enhancing frequency of physical activity.
• VR and AR programs were effective for improving strength of physical performance.
• Further studies of AR-enhanced exercise using randomized controlled trials are warranted.

Abstract

Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR)-enhanced exercise training is a novel approach to promoting health. Previous systematic reviews have focused on the effectiveness of VR interventions in clinical settings. The present study was the first systematic review to investigate the effectiveness of exercise-based VR and AR training as preventive measures in improving physical activity, psychological outcomes, and physical performance of a healthy population when compared with traditional programs and no-exercise controls.

This study included 22 research articles published between 1997 and 2017, involving 1,184 participants aged 18 to 79.
The results showed a large effect on physical activity (Hedges' g = 0.83, SE = 0.18), a small to moderate effect on physical performance (Hedges’ g = 0.31, SE = 0.09), and no significant effect on psychological outcomes.

VR training programs were particularly shown to be effective for enhancing frequency of physical activity and strength of physical performance.

Only two studies examined the effectiveness of AR training programs on physical performance, and the findings concerning those effects were not separately reported.

A list of plausible moderators was tested but that variable was not significantly associated with the effects of VR on the three outcomes.

Limitations and future directions are discussed.

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The Stress–Burnout Relationship: Examining the Moderating Effect of Physical Activity and Intrinsic Motivation for Off-Job Physical Activity

an article by Sandrine Isoard-Gautheur, Clément Ginoux and Philippe Sarrazin (Université Grenoble Alpes, Switzerland) and Markus Gerbe (University Issue 7 (July 2019)of Basel, Switzerland) published in Workplace Health & Safety Volume 67 Issue 7 (July 2019)

Abstract

Current research highlights the need to critically examine the factors that can reduce the relationship between work stress and burnout to improve employee health and well-being, as well as to create healthier workplaces.

The objective of this study was to enhance insight into the association between stress and job burnout by testing the moderated moderating effect of off-job physical activity (PA) and intrinsic motivation for off-job PA on this association.

A total of 369 university staff (70% females) completed a web survey comprising measures of perceived stress, job burnout, PA, and intrinsic motivation for PA. A three-way conditional process model revealed that the “Stress × PA” interaction was significant for cognitive weariness, and that the three-way interaction between “Stress × PA × Intrinsic Motivation for PA” was significantly related to job burnout, and to cognitive weariness.

The results highlight

1. that stress was associated with higher levels of job burnout;
2. that under a high stress condition, PA was negatively linked to cognitive weariness; and 
3. that intrinsic motivation for PA reinforced the positive moderating effect of PA on the stress–burnout relationship, especially when stress is high.

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Exercise is good for you – unless it's part of your job

an article by Ian Sample, Science editor, published in the Guardian


Construction workers build new houses on a housing development in Middlewich, England. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Men who work as labourers or in other physically demanding roles have a greater risk of dying early than those with more sedentary jobs, researchers say.

The finding, from scientists in the Netherlands, reveals an apparent “physical activity paradox” where exercise can be harmful at work but beneficial to health when performed in leisure time.

Pieter Coenen, a public health researcher at VU University medical centre in Amsterdam, said the reason for the disparity is unclear, but he believes it may reflect the different types of exercise people get at work compared with those in their free time.

“While we know leisure-time physical activity is good for you, we found that occupational physical activity has an 18% increased risk of early mortality for men,” Coenen said. “These men are dying earlier than those who are not physically active in their occupation.”

Other researchers say the finding may simply reflect a greater likelihood for people in manual labouring jobs to have unhealthier lifestyles in which diet, smoking and alcohol consumption all conspire to reduce life expectancy.

Continue reading

I follow the argument about people in manual labouring jobs but manual labouring is not the only physically active job. Nurses and other health professionals often spend very long hours walking and they are not alone.

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Physical activity barriers in the workplace: An exploration of factors contributing to non-participation in a UK workplace physical activity intervention

an article by Sarah Edmunds, (Department of Psychology, University of Westminster, UK) and Louise Hurst and Kate Harvey, (Centre for Workplace Health, St Mary's University College, Twickenham, UK) published in International Journal of Workplace Health and Management Volume 6 Issue 3 (2013)

Abstract

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore factors contributing to non-participation in a workplace physical activity (PA) intervention in a large UK call centre.

Design/methodology/approach
In total, 16 inactive individuals (nine male/seven female), aged 27±9 years, who had not taken part in the intervention were interviewed to explore their perceptions of PA, the intervention and factors which contributed to their non-participation. Transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis.

Findings
Six superordinate themes were identified: self-efficacy for exercise; attitudes towards PA; lack of time and energy; facilities and the physical environment; response to the PA programme and PA culture. Barriers occurred at multiple levels of influence, and support the use of ecological or multilevel models to help guide future programme design/delivery.

Research limitations/implications
The 16 participants were not selected to be representative of the workplace gender or structure. Future intentions relating to PA participation were not considered and participants may have withheld negative opinions about the workplace or intervention despite use of an external researcher.

Practical implications
In this group of employees education about the importance of PA for young adults and providing opportunities to gain social benefits from PA would increase perceived benefits and reduce perceived costs of PA. Workplace cultural norms with respect to PA must also be addressed to create a shift in PA participation.

Originality/value
Employees’ reasons for non-participation in workplace interventions remain poorly understood and infrequently studied. The study considers a relatively under-studied population of employed young adults, providing practical recommendations for future interventions.

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