The effect of virtual reality on a home-based cardiac rehabilitation program on body composition, lipid profile and eating patterns: A randomized controlled trial

Introduction: Subjects with cardiovascular diseases are referred to cardiac rehabilitation, with a possibility of using virtual reality environments. The study aimed to analyze the effect of a home-based specific exercise program, maintenance phase, with a six months period, performed in a virtual reality (Kinect) or conventional (booklet) environment, on the body composition, eating patterns and lipid profile of subjects with coronary artery disease. Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted with subjects from a hospital in Porto, Portugal. Subjects were randomly assigned to either intervention group 1 (n = 11), whose program encompassed the use of Kinect; or intervention group 2, a booklet (n = 11) or a control group, only receiving education concerning cardiovascular risk factors (n = 11) during 6 months. Beyond the baseline, at 3 and 6 months the body composition was assessed with a bioimpedance scale and a tape-measure, eating patterns with the semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire and three months later, the lipid profile with laboratory tests. Descriptive and inferential statistical measures were used with a significance level of 0.05. Results: The intervention group 1 revealed significant improvements in the waist-to-hip ratio after 6 months (p = 0.033) and, between the baseline and third month, when compared with the control group (p = 0.041). The intervention group 1 also decreased their ingestion of total fat (p = 0.032) after six months and increased the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (p = 0.017) 3 months after the program's conclusion. Conclusions: The virtual reality format had a positive influence on body composition, specifically on the waist-to-hip ratio, in the first three months. (C) 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.