Tokyo: The ‘metaverse‘ has captured the popular imagination as a universe of infinite possibilities that can affect all parts of existence.
Until the rebranding of Facebook As ‘Meta’ in 2021, discussions of the usefulness of fully submersible virtual environments were limited to a small number of sci-fi and tech circles. Since then, the concept of the metaverse has garnered a lot of attention, and academics are now beginning to investigate how virtual settings can be used to improve science and science. health studies.
What are the key opportunities and uncertainties in the metaverse that can help us better manage NCDs? This is the subject of a recently published article in the Journal of Internet medical researchwritten by Associate Professor Javad Koohsari of the School of Knowledge Sciences at Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST), who is also a research adjunct at the Waseda University College of Sport Science, along with JAIST Professor Yukari Nagai; Professor Tomoki Nakaya of Tohoku University; Professor Akitomo Yasunaga of Bunka Gakuen University; Associate Professor Gavin R. McCormack of the University of Calgary; Associate Professor Daniel Fuller of the University of Saskatchewan; and Professor Koichiro Oka of Waseda University. The team lists three ways in which the metaverse could potentially be used for large-scale health interventions targeting noncommunicable diseases.
Non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, chronic respiratory diseases, cancer and mental illness are greatly influenced by the ‘built environment’, i.e. the man-made environment with which we interact constantly. Built environments can affect health directly through acute effects such as pollution, or indirectly, by influencing physical activity, sedentary behavior, diet, and sleep. Therefore, health interventions that modify the built environment can be used to reduce the health burden of noncommunicable diseases.
This is where the metaverse can help. Experiments conducted in virtual environments within the metaverse can be used to investigate the efficacy of large-scale interventions before they are implemented, saving time and money. “Within a metaverse, study participants could be randomized to experience different exposures to the built environment, such as high and low density, high and low walkability, or different levels of nature or urban environments,” explains Professor Koohsari, lead author of the paper. . who is among the top 2 percent of the most influential researchers worldwide in all scientific disciplines in 2021.
He further added: “This article will be of particular interest to experts in public healthurban design, epidemiology, medicine, and environmental sciences, especially those considering using the metaverse for research and intervention purposes.”
Second, the article points out that the metaverse itself can be used to implement health interventions. For example, the metaverse can expose people to natural ‘green’ environments even when they have little or no access to these environments in the real world. In this way, the metaverse can reduce the negative mental health effects associated with crowded, stress-inducing environments.
Virtual living spaces and offices within the metaverse can be infinitely customized. Additionally, changes to environments within the metaverse can be implemented at the click of a button. Thus, third, the metaverse can also offer a virtual space for testing new office designs and built environments in real time. Professor Koohsari added: “A metaverse could allow stakeholders to collaboratively experiment, build and modify proposed changes to the built environment before these interventions are implemented in the physical world.”
While listing several ways that the metaverse can transform public health interventions by modifying built environments, the article points out key limitations of the metaverse in real-world simulation. In particular, the current state of the metaverse now makes it possible to test many human behaviors or their interaction with built environments. Also, the population of the metaverse may not be representative, as people from lower economic strata have limited access to virtual reality technology.
The article also explores the ways in which the metaverse can negatively affect the health of the population. For example, excessive immersion in virtual environments can lead to social isolation, antisocial behaviors, and negative health effects associated with physical inactivity or increased screen time. Finally, the article points out that excessive reliance on artificial intelligence can lead to the reproduction of real-world biases and social inequalities in the virtual world. In conclusion, Prof. Koohsari said: “It is best, sooner rather than later, to face the prospects and challenges that the metaverse can offer to different scientific fields and, in our case, to public health.”
