NCT05094557

Clinical Efficacy of a Virtual Reality Tool for the Treatment of Obesity

Clinical Efficacy of a Virtual Reality Tool for the Treatment of Obesity (SOCRATES)

• Status: Unknown
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 96 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron Research Institute · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 65 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The objective of the study, which is framed within European Union's H2020 project titled SOCRATES, is to assess the clinical efficacy of a Virtual Reality (VR) embodiment tool for treating obesity and to compare it to usual care, through a Randomized Controlled Trial

Conditions

• Obesity, Morbid

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Experimental Group 1: Body swapping VR intervention + psychoeducational video + Treatment As usual	The patient will be embodied in his/her own avatar and will maintain a conversation with a counsellor's avatar of his/her choice. Once the experiment starts, the patient, embodied in his/her own body, will start describing his/her problem in terms of subjective experiences of being obese in daily life. Then, he/she will be body swapped to the counsellor's body and try to respond to the problem just manifested by the patient. The crucial aspect here is that the patient, from the counsellor's viewpoint, will see a representation of his/her real body when looking at the patient's avatar speaking and moving. Therefore, the patient will have the opportunity to see himself/herself in first person (1PP) and second person (2PP) perspectives.
BEHAVIORAL	Experimental Group 2: VR intervention without body swapping + psychoeducational video + Treatment As usual	Participants from the Experimental Group 2 will be embodied in their own body and will participate in "pre-established discourse" provided by the chosen counsellor, who will ask about the perceived barriers for engagement with a healthier lifestyle and will give practical recommendations about how to achieve a healthier and happier life, in terms of healthy eating and physical activity. No body swapping will take place for this group. Participants will also continue receiving Treatment As usual plus a Psychoeducational video with useful information about how to engage with a healthier lifestyle.
BEHAVIORAL	Control Group: Psychoeducational video + Treatment As usual	Participants from the Control Group will receive their Treatment As Usual plus a Psychoeducational video. Treatment as usual will consist of regular medical, nutritional and/or psychiatric follow-ups with the obesity specialists of the Vall d´ Hebron University Hospital and standard routine tests. These visits aim to provide practical recommendations about how to achieve a gradual weight loss and engage more with physical exercise.

Timeline

• Start date: 2022-01-31
• Primary completion: 2022-10-01
• Completion: 2022-10-01
• First posted: 2021-10-26
• Last updated: 2022-05-05

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Spain