Is the Nintendo Wii Fit really acceptable to older people?: a discrete choice experiment

Laver, K; Ratcliffe, J; George, S; Burgess, LB; Crotty, M

Is the Nintendo Wii Fit really acceptable to older people?: a discrete choice experiment

Laver, K Ratcliffe, J George, S Burgess, LB Crotty, M

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Publisher:: BioMed Central
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: BMC Geriatrics, 2011, 11 (64), pp. 1 - 6
Issue Date:: 2011-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Laver, K	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Ratcliffe, J	en_US
dc.contributor.author	George, S	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Burgess, LB	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Crotty, M	en_US
dc.date.issued	2011-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	BMC Geriatrics, 2011, 11 (64), pp. 1 - 6	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	1471-2318	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/18639
dc.description.abstract	Background Interactive video games such as the Nintendo Wii Fit are increasingly used as a therapeutic tool in health and aged care settings however, their acceptability to older people is unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the acceptability of the Nintendo Wii Fit as a therapy tool for hospitalised older people using a discrete choice experiment (DCE) before and after exposure to the intervention. Methods A DCE was administered to 21 participants in an interview style format prior to, and following several sessions of using the Wii Fit in physiotherapy. The physiotherapist prescribed the Wii Fit activities, supervised and supported the patient during the therapy sessions. Attributes included in the DCE were: mode of therapy (traditional or using the Wii Fit), amount of therapy, cost of therapy program and percentage of recovery made. Data was analysed using conditional (fixed-effects) logistic regression. Results Prior to commencing the therapy program participants were most concerned about therapy time (avoiding programs that were too intensive), and the amount of recovery they would make. Following the therapy program, participants were more concerned with the mode of therapy and preferred traditional therapy programs over programs using the Wii Fit. Conclusions The usefulness of the Wii Fit as a therapy tool with hospitalised older people is limited not only by the small proportion of older people who are able to use it, but by older people's preferences for traditional approaches to therapy. Mainstream media portrayals of the popularity of the Wii Fit with older people may not reflect the true acceptability in the older hospitalised population.	en_US
dc.publisher	BioMed Central	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	BMC Geriatrics	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Geriatrics	en_US
dc.title	Is the Nintendo Wii Fit really acceptable to older people?: a discrete choice experiment	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	64	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	11	en_US
utslib.for	1103 Clinical Sciences	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science/School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences
utslib.copyright.status	open_access
pubs.consider-herdc	true	en_US
pubs.issue	64	en_US
pubs.volume	11	en_US

Abstract:

Background Interactive video games such as the Nintendo Wii Fit are increasingly used as a therapeutic tool in health and aged care settings however, their acceptability to older people is unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the acceptability of the Nintendo Wii Fit as a therapy tool for hospitalised older people using a discrete choice experiment (DCE) before and after exposure to the intervention. Methods A DCE was administered to 21 participants in an interview style format prior to, and following several sessions of using the Wii Fit in physiotherapy. The physiotherapist prescribed the Wii Fit activities, supervised and supported the patient during the therapy sessions. Attributes included in the DCE were: mode of therapy (traditional or using the Wii Fit), amount of therapy, cost of therapy program and percentage of recovery made. Data was analysed using conditional (fixed-effects) logistic regression. Results Prior to commencing the therapy program participants were most concerned about therapy time (avoiding programs that were too intensive), and the amount of recovery they would make. Following the therapy program, participants were more concerned with the mode of therapy and preferred traditional therapy programs over programs using the Wii Fit. Conclusions The usefulness of the Wii Fit as a therapy tool with hospitalised older people is limited not only by the small proportion of older people who are able to use it, but by older people's preferences for traditional approaches to therapy. Mainstream media portrayals of the popularity of the Wii Fit with older people may not reflect the true acceptability in the older hospitalised population.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/18639