Abstract
The objective of this study was to identify the most important health/fitness trends while examining the impact of various demographics of respondents on the top trends for the first time in Greece. An online survey was sent to 3,487 professionals who worked in the health/fitness sector using the methodology of similar regional and worldwide studies extensively conducted by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). A total of 542 responses were collected with a response rate of 15.5%. The ten most important trends were personal training, exercise is medicine, high-intensity interval training, small group training, and functional fitness, body weight training, exercise for weight loss, circuit training, strength training with free weights, and fitness programs for older adults. Health-related trends appear to be popular while technology- and mind/body-related trends seem not to be very attractive. Traditional exercise modes are still attractive and relevant, but specialized group training approaches are currently experiencing low popularity. Results also showed meaningful sex differences for 68% of the examined trends where female respondents reported higher scores. The main findings of this study are in line with those recently reported in the ACSM's European survey even though similar research design and data analysis are limited internationally.
Highlights
The fitness sector has grown tremendously in the last decades at both European [1] and global level [2] demonstrating significant increased number of members and facilities
22% of adults who engage in regular physical activity prefer fitness centers for their exercise experience, which is a higher rate than that observed among Europeans (15%) [10]
The present findings show that female survey respondents reported higher scores than male for almost 70% (28/41) of fitness trends and only low-cost and budget gyms received a higher score by male respondents (Table 3)
Summary
The fitness sector has grown tremendously in the last decades at both European [1] and global level [2] demonstrating significant increased number of members and facilities As such, it has been considered an exciting and innovative sector showing great potential for continuous growth while offering promising professional opportunities and business development concepts [3]. It has been considered an exciting and innovative sector showing great potential for continuous growth while offering promising professional opportunities and business development concepts [3] This sector is addressed to consumers classified as sedentary and overweight because one in two adults does not meet the recommended physical activity guidelines [4] while two in three of them do not have a healthy weight [5] worldwide. It notable that fitness is the number one participation sport in Europe [10] showing that this sector is systematically growing in the region
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
