Exergaming and Virtual Reality for Health: Implications for Cardiac Rehabilitation

Effects of Virtual Reality on Cardiac Rehabilitation Programs for Ischemic Heart Disease: A Randomized Pilot Clinical Trial

“…Two recent systematic reviews [ 11 , 39 ] demonstrate the main methodological limitations of previous publications on the use of VR and video games as a therapeutic tool in the approach to CVD in CR units. The clinical heterogeneity of the included patients, with different age ranges, has been highlighted, and VR has been applied in all phases of CR.…”

“…According to the types and tools of VR, the most commonly used systems in previous studies have been low-cost consoles, such as Microsoft XBOX ® with its Kinect ® peripheral and the Nintendo Wii ® , both reported as the most accessible systems in the acquisition and management for patients with CVD [ 11 , 39 ]. In most studies, VR is used as a coadjuvant to conventional cardiac rehabilitation [ 11 ].…”

Home-based exercise can be beneficial for counteracting sedentary behavior and physical inactivity during the COVID-19 pandemic in older adults

“…To cope with COVID-19 illness, exergame is an easy-to-use tool for decreasing social isolation and reducing anxiety disorders and SB (62) and can be shared with peers and families in social isolation situations. Being active at home using exergame is more enjoyable than walking alone outside for older people (143).…”

Psychological and Physiological Responses in Patients with Generalized Anxiety Disorder: The Use of Acute Exercise and Virtual Reality Environment

“…To the best of our knowledge, no research has yet been conducted on the potential effects of exercise in a virtual environment with various types of environmental stimuli on psychological and physiological responses in patients with GAD. As virtual reality exercises become more and more popular [ 20 , 33 ] and VE is considered to be a useful tool for promoting exercise and physical health in patients with GAD (e.g., [ 7 ]), it is important to understand the psychophysiological responses of patients with GAD (e.g., levels of relaxation, perceived stress, restorative effects, and satisfaction) while exercising in a VE [ 34 , 35 ] since they are important factors related to their subsequent usage [ 24 ]. Although a previous study has reported that exercising in a natural environment may benefit physiological and psychological health [ 22 ], outdoor exercise and indoor virtual exercise seem to induce different psychological benefits, with greater energy being experienced while exercising outside whereas more relaxation and less tension is felt while exercising inside with virtual reality environment [ 36 ].…”