Wii Fit Helps Kids Get Fit, Not Families

The Nintendo Wii Fit, a holiday gift of choice for many hoping to have fun, get fit, and never leave the house, works great, —if you’re a kid, according to research conducted at the University of Mississippi. If you’re an adult, the research suggests, Wii Fit is not a great fit. A university news release reports that the  study followed eight families who were
loaned a Nintendo Wii Fit to use for three months. Each family was evaluated for aerobic fitness, balance and
body composition. 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. The study found that children had 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. Want to know why? The study revealed that daily Wii Fit use per household declined by 82 percent,
from 22 minutes per day during the first six weeks to four minutes per
day during the second six weeks.

Read more from the University of Mississippi.