AUTHOR=Kiefer Adam W. , Pincus David , Richardson Michael J. , Myer Gregory D. TITLE=Virtual Reality As a Training Tool to Treat Physical Inactivity in Children JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health VOLUME=5 YEAR=2017 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2017.00349 DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2017.00349 ISSN=2296-2565 ABSTRACT=

Lack of adequate physical activity in children is an epidemic that can result in obesity and other poor health outcomes across the lifespan. Physical activity interventions focused on motor skill competence continue to be developed, but some interventions, such as neuromuscular training (NMT), may be limited in how early they can be implemented due to dependence on the child’s level of cognitive and perceptual-motor development. Early implementation of motor-rich activities that support motor skill development in children is critical for the development of healthy levels of physical activity that carry through into adulthood. Virtual reality (VR) training may be beneficial in this regard. VR training, when grounded in an information-based theory of perceptual-motor behavior that modifies the visual information in the virtual world, can promote early development of motor skills in youth akin to more natural, real-world development as opposed to strictly formalized training. This approach can be tailored to the individual child and training scenarios can increase in complexity as the child develops. Ultimately, training in VR may help serve as a precursor to “real-world” NMT, and once the child reaches the appropriate training age can also augment more complex NMT regimens performed outside of the virtual environment.