Slide
Centre Interdisciplinaire
de Recherche et d’Innovation
en Cybersécurité et Société
de Recherche et d’Innovation
en Cybersécurité et Société
1.
Onita, C. A.; Matei, D. -V.; Trandafir, L. -M.; Petrescu-Miron, D.; Corciova, C.; Fuior, R.; Manole, L. -M.; Mihai, B. -M.; Dascalu, C. -G.; Tarcea, M.; Bouchard, S.; Mocanu, V.
In: Nutrients, vol. 17, no. 15, 2025, ISSN: 20726643 (ISSN).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Adolescent, adolescent obesity, alpha amylase saliva isoenzyme, alpha-Amylases, amylase, anthropometry, anxiety assessment, appetite, article, Autonomic Nervous System, autonomic nervous system function, chemistry, Child, childhood obesity, clinical article, controlled study, craving, eating behavior, Electrophysiology, emotional eating, emotional stress, exploratory factor analysis, Factor Analysis, feeding behavior, female, Heart Rate, heart rate variability, human, Humans, Hydrocortisone, hypothalamus hypophysis adrenal system, immersive VR game, male, mental stress, metabolism, neuroendocrine system, Neurosecretory Systems, pathophysiology, Pediatric Obesity, physiology, Psychological, psychology, Saliva, salivary alpha-amylase, salivary cortisol, social stress, Statistical, Stress, stress assessment, subjective stress, three-factor eating questionnaire (TFEQ), Three-Factor-Eating-Questionnaire, video game, Video Games, virtual reality, virtual reality exposure therapy, visual analog scale
@article{onita_autonomic_2025,
title = {Autonomic and Neuroendocrine Reactivity to VR Game Exposure in Children and Adolescents with Obesity: A Factor Analytic Approach to Physiological Reactivity and Eating Behavior},
author = {C. A. Onita and D. -V. Matei and L. -M. Trandafir and D. Petrescu-Miron and C. Corciova and R. Fuior and L. -M. Manole and B. -M. Mihai and C. -G. Dascalu and M. Tarcea and S. Bouchard and V. Mocanu},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-105013574948&doi=10.3390%2Fnu17152492&partnerID=40&md5=d1e974dae00d424b9f6fae86b8a7cc6a},
doi = {10.3390/nu17152492},
issn = {20726643 (ISSN)},
year = {2025},
date = {2025-01-01},
journal = {Nutrients},
volume = {17},
number = {15},
abstract = {Background/Objectives: The aim was to identify patterns of autonomic and neuroendocrine reactivity to an immersive virtual reality (VR) social-emotional stressor and explore their associations with perceived stress and eating behavior. Methods: This one-group pretest–posttest study included 30 children and adolescents with obesity (15 boys and 15 girls), aged 8 to 17 years. The VR protocol consisted of two consecutive phases: a 5 min relaxation phase using the Forest application and a 5 min stimulation phase using a cognitively engaging VR game designed to elicit social-emotional stress. Physiological responses were measured using heart rate variability (HRV) indices and salivary stress biomarkers, including cortisol and alpha amylase. Subjective stress and eating responses were assessed via visual analogue scales (VAS) administered immediately post-exposure. The Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ-R21C) was used to evaluate cognitive restraint (CR), uncontrolled eating (UE), and emotional eating (EE). Results: The cortisol reactivity was blunted and may reflect both the attenuated HPA axis responsiveness characteristic of pediatric obesity and the moderate psychological challenge of the VR stressor used in this study. Two distinct autonomic response patterns were identified via exploratory factor analysis: (1) parasympathetic reactivity, associated with increased RMSSD and SDNN and decreased LF/HF, and (2) sympathetic activation, associated with increased heart rate and alpha-amylase levels and reduced RR intervals. Parasympathetic reactivity was correlated with lower perceived stress and anxiety, but also paradoxically with higher uncontrolled eating (UE). In contrast, sympathetic activation was associated with greater cognitive restraint (CR) and higher anxiety ratings. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that immersive VR game exposure elicits measurable autonomic and subjective stress responses in children and adolescents with obesity, and that individual differences in physiological reactivity are relevantly associated with eating behavior traits. The findings suggest that parasympathetic and sympathetic profiles may represent distinct behavioral patterns with implications for targeted intervention. © 2025 by the authors.},
keywords = {Adolescent, adolescent obesity, alpha amylase saliva isoenzyme, alpha-Amylases, amylase, anthropometry, anxiety assessment, appetite, article, Autonomic Nervous System, autonomic nervous system function, chemistry, Child, childhood obesity, clinical article, controlled study, craving, eating behavior, Electrophysiology, emotional eating, emotional stress, exploratory factor analysis, Factor Analysis, feeding behavior, female, Heart Rate, heart rate variability, human, Humans, Hydrocortisone, hypothalamus hypophysis adrenal system, immersive VR game, male, mental stress, metabolism, neuroendocrine system, Neurosecretory Systems, pathophysiology, Pediatric Obesity, physiology, Psychological, psychology, Saliva, salivary alpha-amylase, salivary cortisol, social stress, Statistical, Stress, stress assessment, subjective stress, three-factor eating questionnaire (TFEQ), Three-Factor-Eating-Questionnaire, video game, Video Games, virtual reality, virtual reality exposure therapy, visual analog scale},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Background/Objectives: The aim was to identify patterns of autonomic and neuroendocrine reactivity to an immersive virtual reality (VR) social-emotional stressor and explore their associations with perceived stress and eating behavior. Methods: This one-group pretest–posttest study included 30 children and adolescents with obesity (15 boys and 15 girls), aged 8 to 17 years. The VR protocol consisted of two consecutive phases: a 5 min relaxation phase using the Forest application and a 5 min stimulation phase using a cognitively engaging VR game designed to elicit social-emotional stress. Physiological responses were measured using heart rate variability (HRV) indices and salivary stress biomarkers, including cortisol and alpha amylase. Subjective stress and eating responses were assessed via visual analogue scales (VAS) administered immediately post-exposure. The Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ-R21C) was used to evaluate cognitive restraint (CR), uncontrolled eating (UE), and emotional eating (EE). Results: The cortisol reactivity was blunted and may reflect both the attenuated HPA axis responsiveness characteristic of pediatric obesity and the moderate psychological challenge of the VR stressor used in this study. Two distinct autonomic response patterns were identified via exploratory factor analysis: (1) parasympathetic reactivity, associated with increased RMSSD and SDNN and decreased LF/HF, and (2) sympathetic activation, associated with increased heart rate and alpha-amylase levels and reduced RR intervals. Parasympathetic reactivity was correlated with lower perceived stress and anxiety, but also paradoxically with higher uncontrolled eating (UE). In contrast, sympathetic activation was associated with greater cognitive restraint (CR) and higher anxiety ratings. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that immersive VR game exposure elicits measurable autonomic and subjective stress responses in children and adolescents with obesity, and that individual differences in physiological reactivity are relevantly associated with eating behavior traits. The findings suggest that parasympathetic and sympathetic profiles may represent distinct behavioral patterns with implications for targeted intervention. © 2025 by the authors.
2.
Baillot, A.; Brunet, J.; Lemelin, L.; Gabriel, S. A.; Langlois, M. -F.; Tchernof, A.; Biertho, L.; Rabasa-Lhoret, R.; Garneau, P. Y.; Aimé, A.; Bouchard, S.; Romain, A. J.; Bernard, P.
Factors Associated with Excess Skin After Bariatric Surgery: a Mixed-Method Study Journal Article
In: Obesity Surgery, vol. 33, no. 8, pp. 2324–2334, 2023, ISSN: 09608923 (ISSN), (Publisher: Springer).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: adult, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, anthropometry, Anxiety, article, asthma, Bariatric Surgery, body dissatisfaction, body image, body mass, Body Mass Index, controlled study, dermatomycosis, Dyadic Adjustment Scale, employment status, excess skin, female, heart disease, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, household income, human, Humans, hypertension, major clinical study, male, Mental health, Middle Aged, Mixed methods, Morbid, morbid obesity, non insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, obesity, physical activity, procedures, psychology, qualitative analysis, quality of life, quantitative analysis, sedentary time, skin irritation, skin malformation, sleep apnea syndromes, social psychology, Social Support, stria, sun exposure
@article{baillot_factors_2023,
title = {Factors Associated with Excess Skin After Bariatric Surgery: a Mixed-Method Study},
author = {A. Baillot and J. Brunet and L. Lemelin and S. A. Gabriel and M. -F. Langlois and A. Tchernof and L. Biertho and R. Rabasa-Lhoret and P. Y. Garneau and A. Aimé and S. Bouchard and A. J. Romain and P. Bernard},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85163716815&doi=10.1007%2fs11695-023-06698-w&partnerID=40&md5=c86ee43b5f7daf6c350936d38944d013},
doi = {10.1007/s11695-023-06698-w},
issn = {09608923 (ISSN)},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-01-01},
journal = {Obesity Surgery},
volume = {33},
number = {8},
pages = {2324–2334},
publisher = {Springer},
abstract = {Purpose: After metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS), many patients have excess skin (ES), which can cause inconveniences. Identifying factors related to ES quantity and inconveniences is crucial to inform interventions. The aim of this study was to identify sociodemographic, physical, psychosocial, and behavioral factors associated with ES quantity and inconveniences. Materials and Methods: A mixed-method study with a sequential explanatory design was conducted with 124 adults (92% women, M age 46.5 ± 9.9 years, M time post-MBS 34.2 ± 27.6 months). During phase I, ES quantity (arms, abdomen, thighs) and inconveniences and sociodemographic, anthropometric, clinical, and behavioral outcomes were assessed. In phase II, 7 focus groups were performed with 37 participants from phase I. A triangulation protocol was completed to identify convergences, complementarities, and dissonances from quantitative and qualitative data. Results: Quantitative data indicate only ES quantity on arms was associated with ES inconveniences on arms (r =.36, p <.01). Total ES quantity was associated with maximal body mass index (BMI) reached pre-MBS (r =.48, p <.05) and current BMI (r =.35, p <.05). Greater ES inconvenience was associated with higher social physique anxiety and age (R 2 =.50, p <.01). Qualitative data were summarized into 4 themes: psychosocial experiences living with ES, physical ailments due to ES, essential support and unmet needs, and beliefs of ES quantity causes. Conclusion: Measured ES quantity is related to higher BMI, but not reported inconveniences. Greater self-reported ES quantity and inconveniences were associated with body image concerns. Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.] © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.},
note = {Publisher: Springer},
keywords = {adult, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, anthropometry, Anxiety, article, asthma, Bariatric Surgery, body dissatisfaction, body image, body mass, Body Mass Index, controlled study, dermatomycosis, Dyadic Adjustment Scale, employment status, excess skin, female, heart disease, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, household income, human, Humans, hypertension, major clinical study, male, Mental health, Middle Aged, Mixed methods, Morbid, morbid obesity, non insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, obesity, physical activity, procedures, psychology, qualitative analysis, quality of life, quantitative analysis, sedentary time, skin irritation, skin malformation, sleep apnea syndromes, social psychology, Social Support, stria, sun exposure},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Purpose: After metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS), many patients have excess skin (ES), which can cause inconveniences. Identifying factors related to ES quantity and inconveniences is crucial to inform interventions. The aim of this study was to identify sociodemographic, physical, psychosocial, and behavioral factors associated with ES quantity and inconveniences. Materials and Methods: A mixed-method study with a sequential explanatory design was conducted with 124 adults (92% women, M age 46.5 ± 9.9 years, M time post-MBS 34.2 ± 27.6 months). During phase I, ES quantity (arms, abdomen, thighs) and inconveniences and sociodemographic, anthropometric, clinical, and behavioral outcomes were assessed. In phase II, 7 focus groups were performed with 37 participants from phase I. A triangulation protocol was completed to identify convergences, complementarities, and dissonances from quantitative and qualitative data. Results: Quantitative data indicate only ES quantity on arms was associated with ES inconveniences on arms (r =.36, p <.01). Total ES quantity was associated with maximal body mass index (BMI) reached pre-MBS (r =.48, p <.05) and current BMI (r =.35, p <.05). Greater ES inconvenience was associated with higher social physique anxiety and age (R 2 =.50, p <.01). Qualitative data were summarized into 4 themes: psychosocial experiences living with ES, physical ailments due to ES, essential support and unmet needs, and beliefs of ES quantity causes. Conclusion: Measured ES quantity is related to higher BMI, but not reported inconveniences. Greater self-reported ES quantity and inconveniences were associated with body image concerns. Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.] © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.