JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

In response to the serious lack of physical activity among young adults, there have recently been attempts to encourage young people to exercise by distributing exercise videos. However, merely distributing videos does not lead to improved physical activity levels. Metaverse space, which enables online interaction through avatars, allows users to watch exercise videos in the same space as other avatars.

Objective:

This study explored whether exercise video distribution using metaverse space is effective in increasing physical activity among young people, along with mental health and locomotive function.

Methods:

This study was a randomized, parallel-group, controlled trial. Recruitment was conducted through printed poster displays, and 48 young adults aged 18–30 were assigned to three groups of 16 each: the metaverse, YouTube, and control groups. The metaverse group received a 10-minute exercise video each week with a load of about 4–8 metabolic equivalents of tasks (METs) in the metaverse space, for eight videos delivered to encourage exercise. The YouTube group was sent a URL on YouTube every week to view exercise videos with the same content as the metaverse group. The control group was given no special instructions. The intervention period was eight weeks, and physical activity, well-being, psychological distress, locomotive syndrome risk tests, social capital, and quality of life were measured pre-and post-intervention. Although this study was not blinded to the participants, the measurers did not know to which group the participants were assigned. Mixed-model repeated-measures analyses and a post-hoc Wilcoxon signed-rank sum test were performed to detect the effects of the intervention in all three groups.

Results:

The results of the mixed-model repeated-measure models showed a significant interaction between groups and pre-and post-intervention for total physical activity (metaverse group: pre = 737.1 ± 609.5 METs/week, post = 1575.4 ± 1071.8 METs/week; YouTube group: pre = 661.7 ± 710.7 METs/week, post = 911.9 ± 1103.3 METs/week; control group: pre = 930.6 ± 665.1 METs/week, post = 844.7 ± 701.8 METs/week; P = .04). There were no significant interactions with other indicators. A post-hoc test showed a significant increase in physical activity in the metaverse group pre-and post-intervention (P = .006).

Conclusions:

This study is the first to show that the delivery of exercise videos using metaverse space can increase physical activity in young adults by providing a gathering space for individuals with the same motivation for exercise practice, thereby reducing the sense of isolation during exercise compared to merely distributing videos on YouTube. The use of metaverse space in health promotion is expected to become increasingly widespread, and this study provides data on which to base exercise promotion using metaverse space. Clinical Trial: UMIN (UMIN000048046); Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT06019156): Clinicaltrials.gov registered and approved after the study was completed.