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Who needs Jenny Craig when you can get slim in Second Life?

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that researchers at the University of Houston's Obesity Research Center is using Second Life to help overweight persons learn about and develop habits for a healthy lifestyle.

Hmm...now let's see--there would seem to be a trend here. Earlier this week on bioethics.net, we posted a story about pediatric oncology researchers using video games to teach children to be more compliant with their drug therapy. Now, obesity researchers are using Second Life to have people put down the Cheetos and the remote and hop on the treadmill and eat a salad. Undoubtedly, it's a creative idea, and evidently one that many researchers are turning to in using Second Life to conduct research studies, says the SF Chronicle article.

But why people would care more about their avatar than they do their own health in real life? And if they do, how will this help us know what will motivate people in real life to live healthier lifestyles? Unfortunately, unlike in the University of Houston study, in the real world, no one is handing out "Lindens" (the currency of Second Life) or any kind of "brownie points" for being active or eating well.

So, how will the researchers separate out those persons whose avatars are morphing from chunky to slim out of sheer from competitiveness in the online world and those who truly are learning about how to improve their health and would take something away from Second Life?

But I'm still wondering whether this research will actually result in learning about whether people will acquire healthier behaviors in the real world after living online with a healthier slimmer new avatar. If it does work, watch out Jenny Craig--people will be whittling their waistlines with their avatar online for free with Second Life.

Summer Johnson, PhD