Abstract
BackgroundMembers’ attendance at health and fitness venues typically declines over the course of their membership, with a likely negative impact on physical activity and health outcomes. This systematic review sought to examine the effectiveness of interventions to increase attendance at health and fitness venues and identify the behaviour change techniques (BCTs) included in effective interventions.MethodsA systematic search of seven databases was conducted. The Behaviour Change Technique Taxonomy was used to code the interventions. Cohen’s d was used to assess the effectiveness of the interventions.ResultsFourteen papers reporting 20 interventions were included in the review. Most interventions were found to have trivial or small effects on attendance, although one had a medium effect (d = 0.60) and three had a large effect (ds = 1.00, 1.37, 1.45). The interventions used a limited range of BCTs, with “Prompts/Cues” being the most frequently used. Of the interventions with large effect sizes, two used “Problem solving” and “Pros and cons” and one used “Goal setting (behaviour)” and “Review behaviour goals”.ConclusionsOnly a small number of studies have tested interventions to increase attendance at health and fitness venues, with predominantly trivial or small effects. With the possible exception of problem solving alongside decisional balance and goal setting alongside reviewing behaviour goals, there is little evidence for the effectiveness of specific BCTs. Further research is required to identify the key components of effective interventions to increase attendance at health and fitness venues.
Highlights
Members’ attendance at health and fitness venues typically declines over the course of their membership, with a likely negative impact on physical activity and health outcomes
Health and fitness is a large subsector of the sport and leisure industry, with approximately 60 million people in Europe having membership of a health and fitness organisation which gives them access to a venue [4]
Health and fitness venues typically provide physical activity (PA) equipment that can be used within gyms, they offer exercise classes led by trained instructors and offer swimming pool provision
Summary
Members’ attendance at health and fitness venues typically declines over the course of their membership, with a likely negative impact on physical activity and health outcomes. Within the UK, approximately 15% of the population are estimated to be members of a health and fitness organisation [5]. Individuals typically pay a membership fee to use these facilities. Given that health and fitness organisations provide venues and activities that have the potential to increase PA levels in the population, and that many individuals primarily subscribe to use health and fitness facilities for health reasons (e.g., to lose weight, for increased fitness) [6], they provide an ideal context in which to study initiatives to increase PA levels
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