Zan Gao, Ph.D., kinesiology associate professor and director of Physical Activity Epidemiology Laboratory, has recently published a research article titled “Effectiveness of Virtual Reality Exercise on Individual’s Physiological, Psychological, and Rehabilitative Outcomes: A Systematic Review” as the corresponding author in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. The first-author of this paper is Jiali Qian, a recent M.Ed. graduate under Dr. Gao’s mentorship.

The aim of this study was to synthesize the literature examining the effects of virtual reality-based exercise on physiological, psychological, and rehabilitative outcomes in various populations. Findings suggested virtual reality exercise has potential to exert a positive impact on an individual’s physiological, psychological, and rehabilitative outcomes compared with traditional exercise. However, the quality, quantity, and sample size of existing studies are far from ideal. Therefore, more rigorous studies are needed to confirm the observed positive effects.