Weight loss boss rails against Wii Fit

Daily Mail turns on Nintendo

The Daily Mail yesterday reported the views of National Obesity Forum chief Tam Fry, who is apparently concerned by Wii Fit's use of BMI (Body Mass Index), as a measure of a person's fitness.

Fry believes the product should carry a warning, telling people of the dangers in using BMI as the only method for judging fitness.

"I’m absolutely aghast that children are being told they are fat," the boss offered. "BMI is far from perfect but with children it simply should not be used. A child’s BMI can change every month and it is perfectly possible for a child to be stocky, yet still very fit.

"I would be very concerned if children were using this game and I believe it should carry a warning for parents."

The Mail's shackles were raised after a healthy ten year-old girl was told she was 'overweight'. The girl in question is 4ft 9in, weighs six stone, and is very active.

"Nintendo would like to apologise to any customers offended by the in-game terminology used to classify a player’s current BMI status, as part of the BMI measurement system integrated into Wii Fit," responded Nintendo.

"Wii Fit is still capable of measuring the BMI for people aged between two and 20 but the resulting figures may not be entirely accurate for younger age groups due to varying levels of development."

By Luke Guttridge