Virtual Reality-Enhanced Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Morbid Obesity: A Randomized Controlled Study with 1 Year Follow-Up

Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw. 2016 Feb;19(2):134-40. doi: 10.1089/cyber.2015.0208. Epub 2015 Oct 2.

Abstract

It is well known that obesity has a multifactorial etiology, including biological, environmental, and psychological causes. For this reason, obesity treatment requires a more integrated approach than the standard behavioral treatment based on dietary and physical activity only. To test the long-term efficacy of an enhanced cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) of obesity, including a virtual reality (VR) module aimed at both unlocking the negative memory of the body and to modify its behavioral and emotional correlates, 163 female morbidly obese inpatients (body mass index >40) were randomly assigned to three conditions: a standard behavioral inpatient program (SBP), SBP plus standard CBT, and SBP plus VR-enhanced CBT. Patients' weight, eating behavior, and body dissatisfaction were measured at the start and upon completion of the inpatient program. Weight was assessed also at 1 year follow-up. All measures improved significantly at discharge from the inpatient program, and no significant difference was found among the conditions. However, odds ratios showed that patients in the VR condition had a greater probability of maintaining or improving weight loss at 1 year follow-up than SBP patients had (48% vs. 11%, p = 0.004) and, to a lesser extent, than CBT patients had (48% vs. 29%, p = 0.08). Indeed, only the VR-enhanced CBT was effective in further improving weight loss at 1 year follow-up. On the contrary, participants who received only the inpatient program regained back, on average, most of the weight they had lost. Findings support the hypothesis that a VR module addressing the locked negative memory of the body may enhance the long-term efficacy of standard CBT.

Publication types

  • Randomized Controlled Trial

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Body Image / psychology
  • Body Mass Index
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / methods*
  • Feeding Behavior / psychology
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Memory
  • Middle Aged
  • Obesity, Morbid / psychology
  • Obesity, Morbid / therapy*
  • Personal Satisfaction
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy / methods*
  • Weight Loss
  • Young Adult