earticle

영어

This study investigated the effects of virtual reality-based breathing exercises on body mass index (BMI), thoracic mobility, and pulmonary function in healthy adults. A total of 44 healthy adults were randomly assigned to an experimental group (EG, n=22) performing virtual reality-based breathing exercises or a control group (CG, n=22) performing conventional respiratory training, three times per week for four weeks. Assessments included BMI, thoracic circumference (upper, middle, lower), and pulmonary function tests: forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), and the FEV1/FVC ratio. After the intervention, the EG showed a significant improvement in middle thoracic mobility compared to the CG (p<.05). No significant group differences were found for BMI, FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC, or other thoracic mobility measures (p>.05). These results suggest that virtual reality-based breathing exercises may improve middle thoracic mobility in healthy adults, though minimal effects were observed on pulmonary function and body composition. Further research with larger, more diverse samples and longer interventions is needed.