Max Willson
The COVID-19 epidemic in China in December 2019 prompted a worldwide quarantine, as advised by local governments and the World Health Organization. Older individuals (those over 65 years old) are particularly affected, since they are at a higher risk for a variety of negative health outcomes, such as reductions in motor ability and physical activity (PA) involvement, increased obesity, reduced cognition, and a variety of psychological illnesses. As a result, unique and effective intervention strategies are required to enhance physical activity patterns and health in this demographic, given the secular growth in the older adult population. VR-integrated exercise is a promising intervention method that has been used in healthcare settings such as stroke rehabilitation and psychotherapy.
As a result, the goal of this editorial is to summarise recent research on the usefulness and effectiveness of virtual reality exercise in promoting positive health outcomes in older persons. The findings suggest that VR exercise can help people achieve better physical, cognitive, and psychological results (e.g., improved motor abilities, reduced weight). In this cohort, VR exercise has also been found to be an effective intervention technique for fall prevention. Future study should use more rigorous research designs to allow for a more robust quantitative synthesis of the influence of VR exercise on the preceding outcomes, in order to determine which kind of VR-based PA interventions are most beneficial in improving health outcomes among older persons.
