JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Virtual reality (VR) systems offer promising potential as a controlled platform to investigate human behaviours specifically related to food choices. Yet little is known about its viability to conduct food choice studies with children, thus limiting the development of public health research.

Objective:

This paper investigates the viability of VR technology to understand children's food choices, focusing specifically on perceptual differences between virtual reality and real-life (RL) settings. We examined how children perceive and interact with food portion sizes and container sizes in VR as compared to an equivalent RL scenario.

Methods:

A within-subjects, mixed-methods study was conducted with 437 children aged 5–12 years at a science museum. Participants engaged in a standardized food selection task for a simulated breakfast scenario, choosing portions of cereal and milk in two conditions: a head-mounted VR environment and a corresponding RL physical setup. Children's food selection behaviours were quantitatively compared across three independent variables: condition (VR vs. RL), food healthiness (healthy vs. unhealthy options), and container size (small, medium, and large). Qualitative and quantitative data were collected via post-session questionnaires assessing presence, embodiment, and simulator sickness, alongside detailed interaction logs from the VR environment. Data analysis utilized statistical comparisons and thematic analysis.

Results:

The findings revealed both behavioural consistency and significant perceptual differences between the VR and RL conditions. A behavioural similarity was identified, as children served significantly larger portions of unhealthy food compared to healthy food in both conditions. Crucially, a difference was observed in size perception: children struggled to accurately match the size of bowls and glasses between the VR and RL conditions. Furthermore, while children reported low feelings of presence and embodiment within the VR scenario, they demonstrated a high degree of control and engagement in the virtual task.

Conclusions:

Our findings suggest that current state-of-the-art VR technology presents limitations in its viability for conducting food choice studies with children, particularly concerning accurate size and volume perception. Based on the findings, we provide four practical recommendations to guide the future development of immersive food environments, thereby supporting more reliable and ecologically valid food choice research with young populations.