Background This is the first controlled study to explore whether adjunctive immersive virtual reality (VR) can reduce excessive pain of soldiers with combat-related burn injuries during wound debridement. Methods Patients were US soldiers burned in combat attacks involving explosive devices in Iraq or Afghanistan. During the same wound care session using a within-subject experimental design, 12 patients received half of their severe burn wound cleaning procedure (∼6 minutes) with standard of care pharmacologies and half while in VR (treatment order randomized). Three 0 to 10 Graphic Rating Scale pain scores for each of the treatment conditions served as the primary variables. Results Patients reported significantly less pain when distracted with VR. “Worst pain” (pain intensity) dropped from 6.25 of 10 to 4.50 of 10. “Pain unpleasantness” ratings dropped from “moderate” (6.25 of 10) to “mild” (2.83 of 10). “Time spent thinking about pain” dropped from 76% during no VR to 22% during VR. Patients rated “no VR” as “no fun at all” (<1 of 10) and rated VR as “pretty fun” (7.5 of 10). Follow-up analyses showed VR was especially effective for the six patients who scored 7 of 10 or higher (severe to excruciating) on the “worst pain” (pain intensity) ratings. Conclusions These preliminary results provide the first evidence from a controlled study that adjunctive immersive VR reduced pain of patients with combat-related burn injuries during severe burn wound debridement. Pain reduction during VR was greatest in patients with the highest pain during no VR. These patients were the first to use a unique custom robot-like arm mounted VR goggle system.

Results: One hundred thirty-seven participants completed both the fall and spring visits. Significant (p Ͻ 0.0001) increases between the fall and spring visits were observed for body weight (58.6 vs. 59.6 kg), BMI (21.9 vs. 22.3), percentage body fat (28.9 vs. 29.7), total fat mass (16.9 vs. 17.7 kg), fat-free mass (38.1 vs. 38.4 kg), waist circumference (69.4 vs. 70.3 cm), and hip circumference (97.4 vs. 98.6 cm), with no significant difference observed in the waist-to-hip ratio (0.71 vs. 0.71; p ϭ 0.78). Discussion: Although statistically significant, changes in body weight, body composition, and fat mass were modest for women during their freshman year of college. These results do not support the purported "freshman 15" weight gain publicized in the popular media.

Differences in body composition between the academic and summer periods may reflect changes in living situations between these periods. Unfavorable changes during the summer suggest the need to promote healthy lifestyles to freshman women before they leave campus for the summer.

Background: Years spent in college represents a critical time for obesity development though little information is known regarding how body weight and composition changes beyond the first year of college. The aim of this study was to investigate changes in body weight and composition and the factors influencing those changes among sophomore females.