No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

The widespread use of virtual environment (VE) systems in a variety of applications has serious implications for the user. Users with access to these sophisticated interactive “immersions” in multisensory, three-dimensional (3D) synthetic environments have been shown to experience motion sickness-like symptoms (i.e., eyestrain, ataxia, fatigue, drowsiness) and aftereffects such as visual flashbacks, disorientation, and balance disturbances occasionally occurring up to 12 hours after VE exposure. This is a significant health and safety concern. Technical improvements of VE systems need to be initiated to reduce these potential aftereffects that could result in adverse legal, economic, individual, and social consequences. Many different types of symptoms have been reported that appear to make up the cybersickness syndrome. From our extensive database of virtual environment and flight simulator exposures, we offer examples of these symptoms profiles along with suspected mechanisms and origins. We discuss these issues as well as various assessment techniques and methods used to determine the presence of VE sickness in individuals.

This study represented the largest statewide demonstration (n = 346) of the teen smoking cessation program Not On Tobacco (N-O-T) to date and one of the few systematically controlled teen smoking cessation trials reported in the literature. Results showed that N-O-T female teens were 4 times more likely to quit smoking almost 6 months after the program ended than female teens who received a brief intervention (BI). The quit rate for the N-O-T female groups was significantly higher than that for female brief intervention comparison groups. The study demonstrated that 2 times more N-O-T than BI teens quit smoking overall. Differences in the biochemically validated quit rate between the N-O-T groups and the brief intervention groups overall and for male participants were not statistically different, however. Furthermore, findings showed that N-O-T was more effective than the brief intervention in assisting youth with cigarette reduction. There was a significant difference in the reduction rate between the N-O-T and the BI groups on weekdays and weekends 6 months after the program ended. Overall, approximately 84% of N-O-T teens either quit or reduced smoking, compared with approximately 55% of BI teens. This study is 1 phase of an ongoing multiphase evaluation of N-O-T. This study resulted in several important findings that will help guide future teen cessation studies and tobacco cessation efforts of school health professionals.