New grant: $3.3M in federal funding helps children stay active with virtual reality
Thanks to a five-year, $3.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, an interdisciplinary team of UGA researchers led by Grace Ahn, an associate professor in Grady College, will introduce a new virtual reality system to several afterschool programs to help promote physical activity among 6- to 10-year-olds. Michael Schmidt, an associate professor in the College of Education’s Department of Kinesiology, is the study’s co-investigator.
The study will determine whether interacting with a virtual pet as a reward after reaching a set physical activity goal helps to increase and maintain physical activity among children. Not only will the children wear a personal fitness tracker to monitor the rigor of their movement, but they will also receive social support from their parents through the virtual pet kiosk.