An official website of the United States government
BackgroundPhysical inactivity increases the risk of chronic disease and reduces life expectancy, yet adherence to physical activity (PA) guidelines remains low. SMS text messages are promising for promoting PA, but it is not clear what type of messaging is most effective. Messages with causal information, which explain why a recommendation is being made, may be more persuasive than messages containing only recommendations. ObjectiveThis study aims to compare the effectiveness of causal versus noncausal SMS text messages for promoting PA in US adults. MethodsIn this pilot study, we randomized US adults (n=28 in the analytic sample) aged 18-64 years to receive causal or noncausal SMS text messages roughly every other day for 2 weeks, following a 1-week baseline. PA was measured using Empatica wristbands during intervention and baseline periods, and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire – Short Form (IPAQ-SF) at baseline, postintervention, and 4 weeks later. The primary outcome was the change in mean metabolic equivalent of tasks (METs) per minute from baseline to intervention. The secondary outcomes were (1) PA differences on intervention and nonintervention days (mean METs/min), (2) changes in self-reported METs per week between surveyed periods, and (3) participant satisfaction. We used a linear mixed model to analyze our primary outcome, the Mann-Whitney U test and the chi-square test of independence to analyze quantitative secondary outcomes, and qualitative coding to analyze survey data. ResultsThe causal message group had a greater increase in mean METs per minute from baseline to intervention compared to the noncausal group with a moderate effect size (P=.01; Cohen d=0.54). In the causal group, PA was significantly higher on SMS text message days (mean 2.46, SD 0.12 METs/min) compared to nonmessage days (mean 2.25, SD 0.15 METs/min; P=.02), while there was no difference in the noncausal group (P=.54). No significant between-group difference was found in self-reported PA or satisfaction. ConclusionsCausal information that links suggested PA to health outcomes can increase the effectiveness of SMS text messages promoting PA, indicating the value of incorporating causal information into intervention design. Our results provide further basis for just-in-time interventions, as activity was higher on message days. Further work is needed to better personalize message content and timing to maintain participant engagement.
more »
« less
Immersive Real-Time Biofeedback Optimized With Enhanced Expectancies Improves Motor Learning: A Feasibility Study
Context: An Optimizing Performance through Intrinsic Motivation and Attention for Learning theory-based motor learning intervention delivering autonomy support and enhanced expectancies (EE) shows promise for reducing cognitive-motor dual-task costs, or the relative difference in primary task performance when completed with and without a secondary cognitive task, that facilitate adaptive injury-resistant movement response. The current pilot study sought to determine the effectiveness of an autonomy support versus an EE-enhanced virtual reality motor learning intervention to reduce dual-task costs during single-leg balance. Design: Within-subjects 3 × 3 trial. Methods: Twenty-one male and 24 female participants, between the ages of 18 and 30 years, with no history of concussion, vertigo, lower-extremity surgery, or lower-extremity injuries the previous 6 months, were recruited for training sessions on consecutive days. Training consisted of 5 × 8 single-leg squats on each leg, during which all participants mimicked an avatar through virtual reality goggles. The autonomy support group chose an avatar color, and the EE group received positive kinematic biofeedback. Baseline, immediate, and delayed retention testing consisted of single-leg balancing under single- and dual-task conditions. Mixed-model analysis of variances compared dual-task costs for center of pressure velocity and SD between groups on each limb. Results: On the right side, dual-task costs for anterior–posterior center of pressure mean and SD were reduced in the EE group (mean Δ = −51.40, Cohen d = 0.80 and SD Δ = −66.00%, Cohen d = 0.88) compared with the control group (mean Δ = −22.09, Cohen d = 0.33 and SD Δ = −36.10%, Cohen d = 0.68) from baseline to immediate retention. Conclusions: These findings indicate that EE strategies that can be easily implemented in a clinic or sport setting may be superior to task-irrelevant AS approaches for influencing injury-resistant movement adaptations.
more »
« less
- Award ID(s):
- 1924278
- PAR ID:
- 10357307
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Sport Rehabilitation
- ISSN:
- 1056-6716
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 1 to 8
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
-
Spatial reasoning skills have been linked to success in STEM and are considered an important part of geoscience problem solving. Most agree that these are a group of skills rather than a single ability, though there is no agreement on the full list of constituent skills. Few studies have attempted to isolate specific spatial skills for deliberate training. We conducted an experiment to isolate and train the skill of recognizing horizontal (a crucial component in measuring the orientation of planes) using a dedicated Virtual Reality (VR) module. We recruited 21 undergraduate students from natural science and social science majors for the study, which consisted of a pretest, 15-minute training, and posttest. The pre- and posttests consisted of a short multiple choice vocabulary quiz, 5 hand-drawn and 5 multiple choice Water Level Task (WLT) questions, and the Vandenberg and Kuse Mental Rotation Task (MRT). Participants were sorted based on pre-test Water Level Task scores, only those with scores <80% were placed in an intervention group and randomly assigned to training, either in VR (experimental) or on paper (standard), of about 15 minutes. The high-scoring participants received no training (comparison). All three groups of participants completed a posttest after the training (if any). After removing three participants who did not return for the posttest session, we had 18 participants in total: 6 in VR, 7 in the comparison group, and 5 in the standard group. Repeated measures ANOVA of the pre to post hand-drawn WLT scores shows at least one group is different (p=.002) and Tukey’s Post-Hoc analysis indicates that the VR group improved significantly more that the high-scoring comparison group (Mean Difference = -1.857, p = .001) and the standard group (Mean Difference = -1.200, p = .049). While any significant result is encouraging, a major limitation of this study is the small sample size and unequal variances on both the pretest (Levene’s HOV test, F = 7.50, p = .006) and posttest (F = 13.53, p < .001), despite random assignment. More trials are needed to demonstrate reproducibility. While more tests are needed, this preliminary study shows the potential benefit of VR in training spatial reasoning skills.more » « less
-
Biomechanical behavior prior to landing likely contributes to anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries during jump-landing tasks. This study examined prelanding knee kinematics and landing ground reaction forces (GRFs) during single-leg and double-leg landings in males and females. Participants performed landings with the dominant leg or both legs while kinematic and GRF data were collected. Single-leg landings demonstrated less time between prelanding minimal knee flexion and initial ground contact, decreased prelanding and early-landing knee flexion angles and velocities, and increased peak vertical and posterior GRFs compared with double-leg landings. Increased prelanding knee flexion velocities and knee flexion excursion correlated with decreased peak posterior GRFs during both double-leg and single-leg landings. No significant differences were observed between males and females. Prelanding knee kinematics may contribute to the increased risk of ACL injuries in single-leg landings compared with double-leg landings. Future studies are encouraged to incorporate prelanding knee mechanics to understand ACL injury mechanisms and predict future ACL injury risks. Studies of the feasibility of increasing prelanding knee flexion are needed to understand the potential role of prelanding kinematics in decreasing ACL injury risk.more » « less
-
Mixed reality (MR) interactions feature users interacting with a combination of virtual and physical components. Inspired by research investigating aspects associated with near-field interactions in augmented and virtual reality (AR & VR), we investigated how avatarization, the physicality of the interacting components, and the interaction technique used to manipulate a virtual object affected performance and perceptions of user experience in a mixed reality fundamentals of laparoscopic peg-transfer task wherein users had to transfer a virtual ring from one peg to another for a number of trials. We employed a 3 (Physicality of pegs) X 3 (Augmented Avatar Representation) X 2 (Interaction Technique) multi-factorial design, manipulating the physicality of the pegs as a between-subjects factor, the type of augmented self-avatar representation, and the type of interaction technique used for object-manipulation as within-subjects factors. Results indicated that users were significantly more accurate when the pegs were virtual rather than physical because of the increased salience of the task-relevant visual information. From an avatar perspective, providing users with a reach envelope-extending representation, though useful, was found to worsen performance, while co-located avatarization significantly improved performance. Choosing an interaction technique to manipulate objects depends on whether accuracy or efficiency is a priority. Finally, the relationship between the avatar representation and interaction technique dictates just how usable mixed reality interactions are deemed to be.more » « less
-
Photorealistic avatars have become essential for immersive applications in virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), enabling lifelike interactions in areas such as training simulations, telemedicine, and virtual collaboration. These avatars bridge the gap between the physical and digital worlds, improving the user experience through realistic human representation. However, existing avatar creation techniques face significant challenges, including high costs, long creation times, and limited utility in virtual applications. Manual methods, such as MetaHuman, require extensive time and expertise, while automatic approaches, such as NeRF-based pipelines often lack efficiency, detailed facial expression fidelity, and are unable to be rendered at a speed sufficent for real-time applications. By involving several cutting-edge modern techniques, we introduce an end-to-end 3D Gaussian Splatting (3DGS) avatar creation pipeline that leverages monocular video input to create a scalable and efficient photorealistic avatar directly compatible with the Unity game engine. Our pipeline incorporates a novel Gaussian splatting technique with customized preprocessing that enables the user of ”in the wild” monocular video capture, detailed facial expression reconstruction and embedding within a fully rigged avatar model. Additionally, we present a Unity-integrated Gaussian Splatting Avatar Editor, offering a user-friendly environment for VR/AR application development. Experimental results validate the effectiveness of our preprocessing pipeline in standardizing custom data for 3DGS training and demonstrate the versatility of Gaussian avatars in Unity, highlighting the scalability and practicality of our approach.more » « less
- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
-
Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1123/jsr.2021-0226
