BU Research Blog

Dr Heidi Singleton (DNS) , Professor Debbie Holley (DNS) and Dr Emily Arden-Close (Dept of Psychology) have an upcoming PPI event on the 25th and 26th October. It is open to all children aged 7-11 years (accompanied by an adult), who have moderate to severe eczema or would like to take part in a computer game event that could help children with eczema? 

Please share the eventbrite widely!  the EventBrite link below:  

 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/childrens-computer-game-eczema-research-event-tickets-423362076367  

Eczema is a condition that causes the skin to become itchy, dry, and cracked which is a painful and distressing condition. It is estimated that around 20% of children suffer from this condition with 4% of these cases identified as moderate to severe. It has a major impact on children and their families; gets in the way of sleep, impacts upon social activities, and can lead to low mood and anxiety.   

  The use of virtual reality (VR) in clinical and therapeutic settings has been shown to help with pain relief and distraction from the effect of symptoms. While psychological approaches have been shown to be helpful for reducing the itch-scratch cycle in eczema, few children been offered them. Virtual reality has been used to treat children with anxiety, burns and pain, now we are seeing if it will also be helpful to distract from eczema symptoms. Drawing upon PPI methods in our initial work, we have now co-created an interactive “mini-VR igloo headset”, designed for a child lying on their bed. The VR games are designed to take the children into the sights and sounds of a cold or underwater environments, to distract them and ease the uncomfortable feelings of itchy eczema.  

Alongside those designing and producing the igloo from the University Department of Design and Engineering and Computer Animation, we will also be working with a support group for carers of children with eczema and BU Pier.