Trajectories for Active and Healthy Aging

Trajectories for Active and Healthy Aging (Behavioural and Psychological Determinants)

The objective of the present study is to identify which psychological and motivational factors can help foster Virtual Reality (VR)-based interventions. Specifically, the main question is:

- Does the combination of VR-based interventions and motivational messages grounded in Self-Determination Theory (SDT) impact older adults' motivation for physical activity and their physiological indicators related to exercise? Older adults will participate to a 4 week intervention where they have ti engage in a physical activity program under different conditions: with and without VR, with and with out motivational messages.

Inclusion Criteria:

• over 65 years old
• to be fluent in Italian
• to have an informant familiar with their daily functioning
• needed to be available for the full duration of the study
• to be free from a history of severe psychiatric disorders (e.g., schizophrenia, bipolar disorder), nervous system infections or disorders (e.g., epilepsy, brain tumor, large-vessel stroke, major head trauma), or current metabolic or systemic conditions (e.g., B12 deficiency, renal failure, cancer)

Exclusion Criteria:

• severe sensory or motor impairments that would hinder task performance (e.g., blindness, total hearing loss, severe upper extremity deformities or paralysis)
• susceptibility to motion sickness (as confirmed by the Motion Sickness Susceptibility Questionnaire)
• intellectual disability (as assessed by the MMSE).