Wii Fit May Not Help Families Get Fit

December 25, 2009

The Nintendo Wii Fit many people are considering as Christmas gifts may be great

entertainment, but a University of Mississippi study indicates the console has

little effect on family fitness.

The study was conducted by Owens, UM associate professor of health and

exercise science. When Owens began the study in fall 2008, he wanted to see if

the Nintendo Wii Fit video game console could help families get more physical

activity. Obesity is a nationwide problem, and Owens is interested in the

potential of video games to increase exercise and ultimately improve family

fitness.

The six-month study followed eight families in the Oxford area who were loaned a

Nintendo Wii Fit to use for three months. The study was broken into two parts so

that each family's physical activity was charted during three months without a

Nintendo Wii Fit in the home and three months with the game system in the home.

During that time, each family was evaluated through a number of different

fitness measurements, including aerobic fitness, balance and body composition.

In addition, each family's fitness before the study was measured by using an

accelerator that charted the families' movement and physical activity over a

period of five days. Software on the game consoles used individual profiles to

track how much each family member used the games and how much movement was

involved in that use.

Owens' study, which he has submitted to a refereed professional journal, found

that children did display significant increases in aerobic fitness after three

months with the Wii Fit. However, three months of home Wii Fit use produced no

significant changes in daily physical activity, muscular fitness, flexibility,

balance or body composition for families as a whole.

In addition, daily Wii Fit use per household declined by 82 percent, from 22

minute per day during the first six weeks to four minutes per day during the

second six weeks, leading Owens to conclude that the Wii Fit had little impact

on daily fitness and that that " modest amounts of daily Wii Fit use may have

provided insufficient stimulus for fitness changes. "

The consoles for Owens' study were purchased by the UM School of Applied

Sciences. The school supplied the equipment for the study because it is

important faculty research that seeks applied solutions to real-world problems,

said Marie Barnard, applied sciences assistant dean.

" We are pleased to support research of this nature and continue to seek ways to

facilitate faculty research that improves the health and well-being of our

community, " she said.

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