THE EFFECTS OF VIRTUAL REALITY TRAINING ON BALANCE AND SPEED-AGILITY IN OBESE CHILDREN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of the study was to examine the effects of virtual reality training on balance and speed-agility in obese children. Methods: The study included 34 obese children at the ages of 9-11. Participants were divided into training and control groups using the simple randomization method. The participants in the intervention group (n=17) were taken into virtual reality training for 6 weeks. No treatment was applied on the control group (n=17). Balance was assessed by the Flamingo and Y balance tests. Speed-agility was assessed by the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency-Brief Form-speed-agility sub -test. The physical activity enjoyment levels of the children in intervention group were assessed by the Short Form-Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale. Results: Before the study, the groups were similar in terms of the investigated variables (p>0.05). Speed-agility scores and Y balance test anterior, posterior-lateral and mixed reaching distances of the children in intervention group significantly increased after the training in comparison to their pre-training results (p<0.05). While the Flamingo balance test results significantly increased from pretraining to post-training (p=0.001), considering along with the 95% CI, the increase was found to be insignificant (-0.42-7.42). In intervention group, except for the Y balance test anterior and posteriormedial reaching distances, static and dynamic balance and speed-agility clinical effects were large (r >= 0.5). All participants in intervention group stated that they enjoyed virtual reality training to the highest degree (95% CI:25.0 -25.0). Conclusion: Virtual reality training in obese children is effective in improvement of balance and speedagility, and it is an enjoyable option of physical activity. The large randomized controlled studies with long-term trainings and follow-up are recommended.