Identifying the Antecedents of University Students’ Usage Behaviour of Fitness Apps

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to explore the antecedents of university students’ fitness application usage behaviours by combining the theory of planned behaviour and the technology acceptance model. An anonymous questionnaire survey was adopted to address the objectives of the study. Purposive and snowball sampling was used to select eligible students from six universities in Zhanjiang City. An online survey was used to collect data from 634 eligible subjects, and partial least squares structural equation modelling was used to analyse the collected data. The results indicated that the students’ perceived usefulness (β = 0.17, p < 0.05) and perceived ease of use (β = 0.32, p < 0.05) concerning the application and their attitude (β = 0.31, p < 0.05) toward it significantly influenced their usage intentions. Furthermore, perceived usefulness (β = 0.11, p < 0.05) and perceived ease of use (β = 0.38, p < 0.05) fully mediated the relationship between subjective norms and usage intentions. However, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control did not enhance the students’ intentions to use fitness applications. That is, students’ attitudes and fitness application design are the determinants of usage intention. Accordingly, improving students’ fitness applications usage intention requires strategies that involve customised services, social networking, and collaboration with schools; this would further increase students’ engagement in physical exercise.