Adapted High-Intensity Virtual Reality Exergaming

April 10, 2026 updated by: Byron Lai, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Feasibility of Vigorous Extended Reality Exergaming on Cardiometabolic Health in Youth With Mobility Disabilities: A Case Series

This study will test the acceptability and benefits of a home-based high-intensity virtual reality exercise program for young people with physical disabilities. The program will last 6 weeks. There will be a total of two visits to the laboratory for exercise-related health assessments. The program includes head-mounted displays (Meta Quest) and off-the-shelf games.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
4

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Early Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.
  • Name: Byron Lead investigator, PhD
  • Phone Number: 205-922-4137
  • Email: blai@uabmc.edu

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Alabama
      • Birmingham, Alabama, United States, 35209
        • UAB Wellness Health and Research Facility

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • overweight or obese (based on CDC body mass index normative ranges for age and sex)
  • physically inactive (<150 min/week of moderate exercise)
  • Gross Motor Function Classification System level (GMFCS) levels I-IV
  • Physician clearance to participate
  • Wifi internet access at home

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Complete blindness or deafness
  • GMFCS level V
  • Unable to communicate in English
  • Prone to photosensitive seizures
  • Pregnant (due to radiation from a Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry [DXA] scan

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Virtual Reality Exergaming Intervention
High-intensity active video gaming at the home.
Behavioral: Virtual reality exergaming
High-intensity active video gaming using head-mounted display.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Total lean mass
Time Frame: week 0, week 7
lbs
week 0, week 7
Total fat mass
Time Frame: Week 0, Week 7
lbs
Week 0, Week 7
Systolic blood pressure
Time Frame: Week 0, week 7
mmHg
Week 0, week 7
high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP)
Time Frame: Week 0, Week 7
mg/L
Week 0, Week 7
hemoglobin A1c (HbA1C)
Time Frame: Week 0, week 7
mmol/mol
Week 0, week 7
fasting insulin
Time Frame: Week 0, week 7
μIU/mL
Week 0, week 7
Total cholesterol
Time Frame: Week 0, week 7
mg/dL
Week 0, week 7
Low-density lipoprotein
Time Frame: Week 0, week 7
mg/dL
Week 0, week 7
High-density lipoprotein
Time Frame: Week 0, week 7
mg/dL
Week 0, week 7
Diastolic blood pressure
Time Frame: Week 0, week 7
mmHg
Week 0, week 7

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Peak oxygen consumption (pVO2)
Time Frame: Week 0, Week 7
mlkg/min
Week 0, Week 7
Total work output
Time Frame: Week 0, Week 7
watts
Week 0, Week 7
Resting heart rate
Time Frame: Week 0, week 7
beats/min
Week 0, week 7

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Adolescent Food Habits Checklist
Time Frame: Week 0, week 7
The short survey includes 23 items where the person can respond with True and False to a variety of healthy eating habit questions. The survey is scored by a frequency count of 1 point for each 'healthy' response. Final score achieved by summing number of 'healthy' responses x (23 / number of items completed).
Week 0, week 7
Frequency of technical problems with the technology and exercise
Time Frame: Week 0 - 7
Participant report: 1) frequency of problems reported
Week 0 - 7
Type of technical problems with the technology and exercise
Time Frame: Week 0 - 7
Participant report: 1) Type of problem
Week 0 - 7
Total minutes of intervention exercise
Time Frame: Week 0 - Week 6
Total minutes of virtual reality exercise performed each week will be recorded and divided by the total prescribed 240 minutes per week across the 6 week program.
Week 0 - Week 6
Total vigorous-intensity minutes of intervention exercise
Time Frame: Week 0 - Week 6
Vigorous-intensity minutes of virtual reality exercise performed each week will be recorded and divided by the target of 187 minutes per week across the 6 week program. Vigorous-intensity will be defined as >75% of age predicted heart rate maximum.
Week 0 - Week 6

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Alabama at Birmingham

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
September 3, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
February 1, 2026

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
April 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
August 12, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 2, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
September 4, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
April 13, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 10, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 300014468
  • CEDHARS Pilot 2025 (Other Grant/Funding Number: Center for Engagement in Disability Health and Rehabilitation Sciences)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

All raw data will be published.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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