The University of Barcelona validates a virtual reality experience to raise awareness among adolescents about the consumption of energy drinks
The University of Barcelona (UB) actively participated in the development and validation of the NutrivisionVR project, an innovative educational experience that uses virtual reality (VR) to raise awareness among adolescents about the risks of consuming energy drinks.
This project was promoted by the Kid’s Cluster —a group of companies working in the educational field— and led by the company TbKids, specialized in extracurricular activities. It also had the collaboration of Alimmenta, a nutritional advice consultant, and Seeds Experience, a company specialized in technological development and in charge of the immersive part in VR.
On behalf of the UB, Dr. Maria Izquierdo, professor of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences at the Torribera Food Campus, and Dr. María Fernanda Zerón, lecturer at the Faculty of Nursing, were responsible for the scientific validation of the experience, focusing on the impact of the educational methodology on the knowledge, beliefs and attitudes of the participants.
“We were responsible for validating whether the objective of this immersive experience was met from a nutritional and pedagogical point of view, and we can say that the results were very positive”, explains Dr. Izquierdo Pulido. “We like to be part of these projects that connect research with society”.
The project included a pilot test in two public schools in the metropolitan area of Barcelona, with a sample of 89 students aged between 11 and 12. The participants watched a virtual reality video entitled The energy that deceives you and took part in an educational workshop. The results showed a significant change in the beliefs of the adolescents: after the experience, a large majority disagreed with statements such as that these drinks “give energy” or “help fight fatigue”.
“The VR experience had a positive impact, since after the experience the students were more aware of the potential harm of energy drinks”, adds Dr. Zerón. In addition, accompanying the VR experience with a workshop led by an educator was key because the teenagers “learned to identify some ingredients present in energy drinks, such as caffeine or sugar. We even observed that after the workshop and the VR experience the students made more responsible decisions regarding the consumption of these drinks”.
Connecting university and business
The initiative has also served to bring the UB closer to the business ecosystem through the Bosch i Gimpera Foundation, the UB’s knowledge transfer office, which is responsible for promoting the transfer between the academic world and the productive environment.
“It has been a fantastic experience. Knowledge transfer is what motivates us as a university, because we are clearly committed to giving back to society everything we do with public resources”, point out the researchers. “It enriched us a lot, since projects like this allow us to connect with society, understand other points of view and better understand what the market really demands, as well as to explore new technologies such as virtual reality”.
NutrivisionVR has been an opportunity to validate an educational methodology based on technological immersion and to demonstrate that, with collaboration between university and business, innovative solutions with great social value can be developed.