Effects of a virtual nature-enhanced stationary bike on stress reduction and health promotion.

Virtual reality may offer a more engaging experience to enhance the health effects of exercise programs by bringing the outdoor natural environment indoors. The purpose was to examine the health effects of a virtual nature-enhanced stationary bike program by comparing it to a traditional stationary bike program without virtual reality. This preliminary study design was a non-randomized controlled trial conducted between September 2021 and June 2022. Participants were healthy adults. Forty participants were assigned to the experimental group, while 31 participants were assigned to the control group. The experimental group rode a stationary bike and wore a head-mounted display headset which delivered virtual nature. The control group only rode a stationary bike. The intervention was conducted for 30 min a session, once a week for 12 weeks. Participants in the experimental group had improved light-intensity physical activity and positive affects. The experimental group was associated with more favorable changes in vigorous-intensity physical activity, perceived stress, muscle mass, and body fat compared with the control group. These findings suggest a potential benefit; however, they should be interpreted cautiously due to baseline group differences. Virtual reality can create a natural experience from a traditional stationary bike with potential mental health benefits for riders. Virtual reality nature-enhanced stationary bikes may help sustain engagement by reducing the monotony of traditional stationary exercise.