Feasibility of Immersive Virtual Reality Dietician Program in Metabolic-dysfunction Associated Steatotic Liver Disease

Description

Metabolic-dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease, often referred to as "fatty liver disease", is a leading cause of liver failure. Dietary weight loss is a cornerstone of treating fatty liver disease, but access to traditional in-person nutritional education is often limited by cost, availability, and transportation. Immersive virtual reality (iVR) has the potential to not only overcome these barriers, but also provide an interactive learning experience, such as measuring and preparing foods. Therefore, the investigators have created and validated an iVR dietician program known as the Immersive Virtual Alimentation and Nutrition (IVAN) using evidence-informed practices from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The goal of this project is to translate the IVAN program from human and patient research to practice and community research. The investigators plan to accomplish this by performing a randomized clinical trial evaluating the effect of the IVAN program in combination with synchronous audio/video dietary counseling on self-reported dietary intake and weight compared to in-person counseling. Concurrently, the investigators will provide a survey assessing implementation outcomes to both groups as well as the dietician at each study visit, and crossover the intervention at study completion so all participants assess the IVAN program. Additionally, the investigators will have clinic health care providers experience the IVAN program and assess implementation outcomes.

Conditions

Fatty Liver, Nonalcoholic, Weight Loss, Virtual Reality, Implementation Science

Study Overview

Study Details

Study overview

Metabolic-dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease, often referred to as "fatty liver disease", is a leading cause of liver failure. Dietary weight loss is a cornerstone of treating fatty liver disease, but access to traditional in-person nutritional education is often limited by cost, availability, and transportation. Immersive virtual reality (iVR) has the potential to not only overcome these barriers, but also provide an interactive learning experience, such as measuring and preparing foods. Therefore, the investigators have created and validated an iVR dietician program known as the Immersive Virtual Alimentation and Nutrition (IVAN) using evidence-informed practices from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The goal of this project is to translate the IVAN program from human and patient research to practice and community research. The investigators plan to accomplish this by performing a randomized clinical trial evaluating the effect of the IVAN program in combination with synchronous audio/video dietary counseling on self-reported dietary intake and weight compared to in-person counseling. Concurrently, the investigators will provide a survey assessing implementation outcomes to both groups as well as the dietician at each study visit, and crossover the intervention at study completion so all participants assess the IVAN program. Additionally, the investigators will have clinic health care providers experience the IVAN program and assess implementation outcomes.

Feasibility of Immersive Virtual Reality Dietician Program in Patients with Metabolic-dysfunction Associated Steatotic Liver Disease

Feasibility of Immersive Virtual Reality Dietician Program in Metabolic-dysfunction Associated Steatotic Liver Disease

Condition
Fatty Liver, Nonalcoholic
Intervention / Treatment

-

Contacts and Locations

Hershey

Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States, 17033

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.

For general information about clinical research, read Learn About Studies.

Eligibility Criteria

  • * Adults age \>18 years
  • * MASLD identified on imaging
  • * Possession of a smartphone
  • * Inability to provide informed consent
  • * Institutionalized/prisoner
  • * Pregnant
  • * Other causes of hepatic steatosis or chronic liver disease
  • * Severe medical/psychiatric comorbidities at the study PI's discretion

Ages Eligible for Study

18 Years to

Sexes Eligible for Study

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Collaborators and Investigators

Milton S. Hershey Medical Center,

Justin Tondt, MD, PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR, Penn State

Study Record Dates

2025-05-30