{"id":4574,"date":"2015-01-20T19:32:15","date_gmt":"2015-01-20T19:32:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sl.governormarley.com\/?p=4574"},"modified":"2015-01-20T19:32:15","modified_gmt":"2015-01-20T19:32:15","slug":"baylor-college-of-medicine-utilising-second-life-to-aid-women-with-physical-limitations-lose-weight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sl.governormarley.com\/?p=4574","title":{"rendered":"Baylor College Of Medicine Utilising Second Life To Aid Women With Physical Limitations Lose Weight"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sometimes you see a news item or a blog post in a stream and you wonder if it’s something that has been rehashed from many moons ago. That was my first thought when I saw the story I’m about to blog about, however after delving further it looks like the real deal.<\/p>\n

BCM Momentum, the blog for Baylor College Of Medicine informs us :\u00a0Online program aims to aid in weight loss for women with physical limitations<\/a>. The program addresses a very serious issue, as Margaret A.Nosek PHD<\/a> explains :<\/p>\n

If you really want to see something rarer than a vegetarian at a rib cook-off, try looking for a woman in a wheelchair at Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, or 24 Hour Fitness. Why are we such rare birds in these environments?<\/em><\/p>\n

The answer is simple \u2013 these programs don\u2019t really understand what it\u2019s like to try to lose weight when exercising is simply not an option.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Therefore there’s a need for women with physical limitations to share ideas on how to lose weight and of course a good way of doing this is to meetup in small groups to discuss methods that may work. However there are times when physical limitations are problematic for people who may benefit from meeting up in a central physical location, so what better way to address this than via a virtual world :<\/p>\n

We are now testing this program with small groups of women who have mobility limitations, but instead of making them deal with all the hassles of coming to one location, we hold our meetings in the virtual online world of Second Life.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Whereas this program is aimed at women in the Houston area, it still shows the power and benefits that a virtual world can bring.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The research is being conducted by the Center for Research on Women with Disabilities<\/a> (AKA CROWD) and will consist of 16 weekly sessions to discuss and research weight loss for women with physical limitations. Those 16 sessions will take place in Second Life.<\/p>\n

Baylor College Of Medicine, and CROWD are not new to Second Life. They have ran a\u00a0Self-esteem project in Second Life project :\u00a0Using 3-D Virtual Worlds to Help Women with Disabilities Enhance their Self-Esteem<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The results of that project<\/a> are interesting, as are the benefits that many of us overlook as we don’t have physical limitations :<\/p>\n

CROWD investigators and a team of\u00a0collaborators created a simulated island\u00a0environment in Second Life. They adapted the\u00a0self-esteem program so it could be offered in\u00a0Second Life and take advantage of its social\u00a0networking possibilities, the feeling of being\u00a0present in a new and exciting environment, and\u00a0the sense of being part of a community. Women\u00a0<\/em>who participated in the program could modify\u00a0their avatars to look like themselves or take on a\u00a0totally new appearance. It was their choice\u00a0whether or not to have a disability. Virtual reality\u00a0also allows some new elements of entertainment that would rarely be\u00a0possible in real life, such as travel to exotic lands, wild adventures, and risky\u00a0games.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

We’ve seen discussion about this before, that people who have physical limitations can really benefit from an environment such as Second Life, but did the program have any other benefits?<\/p>\n

Significant improvements were seen on the measures of depression and\u00a0self-esteem, with a trend toward significance on selfefficacy\u00a0but no improvement on social support. The \u00a0 women enjoyed being able to participate in the\u00a0program from the comfort of their own homes. Most\u00a0said that doing the workshops in Second Life was\u00a0just as good as doing them face-to-face, but they\u00a0wanted more information about each other\u2019s\u00a0disabilities. Others said they felt freer to express\u00a0themselves because they were anonymous.\u00a0<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Unfortunately there are some downsides to this sort of research, some women simply did not have the hardware capabilities to participate. Hopefully as technology develops this will not be as big a problem in the future but it’s good to see Baylor College of Medicine, CROWD and their programs embracing technology for their research and to assist people.<\/p>\n

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