Virtual Reality Games for Elderly Socialization

NCT ID: NCT02798081

Last Updated: 2018-02-08

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 52 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2016-08-31
• Study Completion Date: 2017-12-31

Brief Summary

A minimum of 23 people aged 60 years and older, of both sexes, from an informatics course for beginners will participate in the study. The evaluation will consist mainly in answering two validated questionnaires on socialization, the short Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adults (SELSA-S) and short-form UCLA Loneliness Scale (ULS-6). Reaction time and performance will also be measured by three virtual reality games, namely Reaction Time, Random and Moviletrando. All this evaluation will be repeated in three moments: T0 - at baseline; T1 - after 8 conventional informatics classes and; T2 - after 8 informatics classes which includes 15 minutes for practicing virtual reality games.

Detailed Description

Background: The use of new Technologies, such as the resources of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), appears as a valuable tool to promote socialization in many groups of people. Serious games with virtual reality are an example of these resources and might bring benefits also to the elderly population, allowing an enjoyable and safe interaction that uses various sensorial stimuli. The purpose of this study protocol is to evaluate the effects of practicing virtual reality games on elderly socialization.

Method/Design: It will be an experimental, prospective longitudinal study which will use serious games with virtual reality to improve the socialization of elderly people. A minimum of 23 people aged 60 years and older, of both sexes, from an informatics course for beginners will participate in the study. The evaluation will consist mainly in answering two validated questionnaires on socialization, the short Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adults (SELSA-S) and short-form UCLA Loneliness Scale (ULS-6). Reaction time and performance will also be measured by three virtual reality games, namely Reaction Time, Random and Moviletrando. All this evaluation will be repeated in three moments: T0 - at baseline; T1 - after 8 conventional informatics classes and; T2 - after 8 informatics classes which includes 15 minutes for practicing virtual reality games.

Discussion: This study will determine whether the practice of virtual reality games in addition to the usual informatics classes contributes to elderly socialization. The evolution in socialization, the evolution of reaction time and performance in virtual reality games and the correlation of motor learning to socialization will also be investigated.

Conditions

Aged

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NA
• Intervention Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Primary Study Purpose: PREVENTION
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Single arm study

A minimum of 46 elderly, students of a informatics course, will participate in the study. Initially, the students will have 8 usual informatics classes in the institution where they were enrolled spontaneously. Then, during the next 8 classes (from class 9 to class 16) they will practice 10 minutes of virtual reality games, as part of the class.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Single arm study

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

In Step 1 the elderly will participate of eight conventional computer classes which they were spontaneously enrolled. In Step 2, 10 minutes of the next eight classes will be used to practice serious games using virtual reality, using physical interface (keyboard or mouse).

Interventions

Single arm study

In Step 1 the elderly will participate of eight conventional computer classes which they were spontaneously enrolled. In Step 2, 10 minutes of the next eight classes will be used to practice serious games using virtual reality, using physical interface (keyboard or mouse).

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Other Intervention Names

practicing virtual reality games

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• people aged over 60 years;
• both sexes
• spontaneously enrolled in the informatics beginner class for seniors of the Center of Reference for Elderly (CRI) in Ribeirão Pires

Exclusion Criteria

• Less than 75% of frequency in the classes between the assessments;
• do not completion of the three moments of assessment;
• having motor impairment of the upper limbs or cognition impairment,which prevents them to practice the games.

• Minimum Eligible Age: 60 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Faculdade de Medicina do ABC

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Thaiany Pedrozo Campos Antunes

Master

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Thaiany Antunes, Master

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Faculdade de Medicina do ABC

Locations

Faculdade de Medicina do ABC

Santo André, São Paulo, Brazil

Countries

Brazil

References

Antunes TPC, Oliveira ASB, Crocetta TB, Antao JYFL, Barbosa RTA, Guarnieri R, Massetti T, Monteiro CBM, Abreu LC. Computer classes and games in virtual reality environment to reduce loneliness among students of an elderly reference center: Study protocol for a randomised cross-over design. Medicine (Baltimore). 2017 Mar;96(10):e5954. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000005954.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 28272198 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

52305215.3.0000.0082

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id