Viewing your street in virtual reality: original versus digitally altered opposite streetscape
Official title: Piloting a Virtual Reality-Based, Randomized Controlled Trial of Psychosocial Responses to Neighborhood Physical Disorder
Run by Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center · NCT07216534 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This test shows adult neighborhood residents short virtual reality scenes of either their actual street or a digitally altered ‘opposite’ version to see if those views change stress, emotion, and physiological responses.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 18 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 32 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Columbus, Ohio) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | January 15, 2027 |
| Main results expected | January 31, 2028 |
| Study ends | January 31, 2028 |
| Registry record updated | October 16, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT07216534 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Adults aged 18 or older who live at the photographed residence at least four nights per week, can read English, can wear a VR headset, live in a selected study neighborhood, and can attend an in-person visit at OSU are ideal candidates.
✕Probably not a fit
People who are pregnant, have epilepsy or other conditions preventing VR use, have significant visual or mobility impairments, or who do not live in the selected neighborhoods or cannot travel to Columbus, Ohio, are unlikely to benefit or to be eligible.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
Participants will have their residence photographed and then attend an in-person ~2-hour session at Ohio State University where they wear a VR headset and view short (3–5 minute) virtual scenes of their streetscape presented either as a digital twin or as a digitally manipulated opposite with respect to physical disorder indicators. The study uses a crossover design so participants experience both VR conditions while researchers record sympathetic autonomic measures (heart rate variability and skin conductance), eye gaze density, and self-report measures (Self-Assessment Manikin and state anxiety). Investigators will also record frequency and pattern of short-term VR side effects and examine whether side effects change over repeated sessions or differ by condition. Analyses will adjust for covariates to explore which participant or neighborhood factors influence physiological and psychosocial responses.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the results could help show how visible neighborhood conditions influence stress and inform low-cost interventions or design changes to improve well-being.
How similar studies have gone: Previous VR research has shown short virtual-environment exposures can change mood and physiological stress markers, but applying personalized digital twins versus digitally opposite streetscapes is a relatively novel approach with limited prior evidence.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Adults 18+ * Must currently live (4+ night/week) at the residence being studied. Only one resident per household will be selected * Must understand and be able to read English * Must agree to have residence photographed * Must be able to wear a VR head mounted display * Must live in neighborhood that has been selected for study * Must be willing and able to attend an approximately 2 hour in-person visit on Ohio State University (OSU) campus Exclusion Criteria: * Pregnant women * Visual or mobility impairment * Cannot have epilepsy or other condition that would inhibit them from being able to use a VR headset
Where it's running
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Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center
Columbus, Ohio, United States Recruiting
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Jesse Plascak, PhD, MPH — Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center
- Study coordinator: The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center
- Email: OSUCCCClinicaltrials@osumc.edu
- Phone: 800-293-5066
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.