Long-term adherence to high-intensity functional training: An exploratory analysis in a “real-world” setting

Abstract

ObjectiveTo analyze the long-term adherence to High-Intensity Functional Training (HIFT). Equipment and methodsOnly information about registration date, last payment, age and sex of 405 participants (women=224; men=111; M age=30.2, SD=8.1 years), between January 2017 and March 2019 were available to us. We analyzed the overall adherence probability curve by the Kaplan-Meier method, and we compared participants of varied gender and age using Mantel-Cox Log-Rank. ResultsWith adherence defined in this fashion, the participants’ median adherence time to the HIFT facility was three months (95% CI=2.60–3.40). The adherence probabilities for individuals to stay in the HIFT facility for more than three, six, and 12 months were 0.43, 0.28, and 0.13, respectively. There was no difference in adherence probability between males and females (χ2(1)=2.026; P=0.155) or between older and younger age groups (χ2(1)=0.430; P=0.512). Adherence to HIFT decreased drastically in the first months, and long-term term adherence was low.