Wii Fit Balance Intervention in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate the impact of the Nintendo(®) Wii Fit™ (Nintendo of America, Redmond, WA) on functional and perceived balance measures in an older adult population over a 4- or 8-week program.

Twenty-five participants (71.60±7.79 years old) from a local senior center played Wii Fit (balance games, hula hooping, and yoga) for 30 minutes 2 days per week in either a 4-week (n=16) or 8-week (n=9) program. An additional nine participants served as a control group. These participants were independent, community-dwelling healthy overweight older adults (mean body mass index, 27.19±4.99 kg/m(2)). Functional balance measures included the 8-foot time up-and-go, 30-second chair stands, and the Berg Balance Scale and perceived balance were measured using the following scales: Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) Scale, Falls Self-Efficacy Scale, and the Activities of Daily Living (ADL) Scale.

A paired t test showed significant changes pre-post program in the mean scores of chair stands, Berg Balance Scale, and ADL Scale for the 4-week participants. For the 8-week participants, significant differences were seen pre-post-program for the Berg Balance Scale, ABC Scale, and ADL Scale. There were no statistical change in the control group in the Berg Balance, ABC, and ADL Scales.

The results of this study suggest that Wii Fit playing may be a vehicle for physical activity participation in the older adult population. It is necessary that research on the effects of exergaming on functional and perceived balance in the older adult population must continue.