Background

Obesity interventions rely predominantly on managing dietary intake and/or increasing physical activity but sustained adherence to behavioural regimens is often poor. Avatar technology is well established within the computer gaming industry and evidence suggests that virtual representations of self may impact real-world behaviour, acting as a catalyst for sustained weight loss behaviour modification. However, the effectiveness of avatar technology in promoting weight loss is unclear.

Aims

We aimed to assess the quantity and quality of empirical support for the use of avatar technologies in adult weight loss interventions.

Method

A systematic review of empirical studies was undertaken. The key objectives were to determine if: (i) the inclusion of avatar technology leads to greater weight loss achievement compared to routine intervention; and (ii) whether weight loss achievement is improved by avatar personalisation (avatar visually reflects self).

Results

We identified 6 papers that reported weight loss data. Avatar-based interventions for weight loss management were found to be effective in the short (4–6 weeks) and medium (3–6 months) term and improved weight loss maintenance in the long term (12 months). Only 2 papers included avatar personalisation, but results suggested there may be some added motivational benefit.

Conclusions

The current evidence supports that avatars may positively impact weight loss achievement and improve motivation. However, with only 6 papers identified the evidence base is limited and therefore findings need to be interpreted with caution.

中文翻译：

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在体重管理环境中使用化身：系统评价

 背景

肥胖干预措施主要依赖于管理饮食摄入和/或增加体力活动，但对行为疗法的持续坚持往往很差。阿凡达技术在电脑游戏行业中已经很成熟，有证据表明，自我的虚拟表现可能会影响现实世界的行为，成为持续减肥行为改变的催化剂。然而，阿凡达技术在促进减肥方面的有效性尚不清楚。

 目标

我们的目的是评估在成人减肥干预中使用化身技术的实证支持的数量和质量。

 方法

对实证研究进行了系统回顾。主要目标是确定：(i) 与常规干预相比，加入化身技术是否能带来更大的减肥效果； (ii) 化身个性化（化身在视觉上反映自我）是否可以改善减肥效果。

 结果

我们发现了 6 篇报告减肥数据的论文。研究发现，基于阿凡达的减肥管理干预措施在短期（4-6 周）和中期（3-6 个月）有效，并在长期（12 个月）改善减肥维持。只有 2 篇论文包含头像个性化，但结果表明可能有一些额外的激励作用。

 结论

目前的证据表明，化身可能会对减肥成果产生积极影响并提高动力。然而，由于仅确定了 6 篇论文，证据基础有限，因此需要谨慎解释研究结果。