Fitness App Users Research Articles

From trial to triumph! A longitudinal design eliciting social impact perspective for sustained usage of gamified fitness apps

PurposeAs fitness apps have integrated gamification elements into their design to transform exercise into a compelling and competitive experience, this study draws on the expectation confirmation model (ECM) and self-determination theory (SDT) to propose a comprehensive framework for sustained usage by satisfying the psychological needs of users.Design/methodology/approachA longitudinal study design is utilized where data from 598 fitness app users were gathered over two distinct phases separated by 24 weeks, where data were analyzed using structural equation modeling.FindingsThe findings until phase 1 depict that motivational affordances significantly affect mastery, autonomy and relatedness, which in turn exert a significant influence on flow. Identification and compliance have a more pronounced effect in phase 2 compared to stage 1 of the analysis.Research limitations/implicationsIndividuals are more prone to being swayed by fellow members of their social group who share an affiliation with fitness apps, leading them to sustain their usage of fitness apps. These insights can potentially guide app developers and marketers in formulating strategies based on modifiable factors to foster sustained growth for gamified fitness apps.Originality/valueThis study takes a novel stance by employing social impact theory (SIT) in a longitudinal setting to reveal how users react to identification and compliance effects during initial and post-adoption usage of gamified fitness apps.

How to Encourage Continuous Use of Fitness Apps among Female Users?

The proportion of women engaging in insufficient physical activity is higher than that of men, and they may face greater barriers. Fitness apps, as effective tools for behavior change, can significantly promote active physical activity among women. Notably, women constitute over 60% of fitness app users. However, few studies have focused on the reasons behind the continuous use of fitness apps by female users. This study investigates the impact of different perceived values on the satisfaction and continuance intention of female fitness app users. A total of 395 female fitness app users from Guangzhou, China, participated in this study. The results indicate that hedonic value (β = 0.190, p < 0.001), utilitarian value (β = 0.171, p = 0.007), and health value (β = 0.440, p < 0.001) significantly and positively influence the satisfaction of female fitness app users. However, only utilitarian value (β = 0.135, p = 0.018) and health value (β = 0.436, p < 0.001) have a significant positive impact on the continuance intention, while hedonic value (β = 0.028, p = 0.547) does not. Additionally, satisfaction mediates the relationship between utilitarian and health values and continuance intention. Therefore, the design of fitness apps should prioritize helping female users achieve utilitarian and health values rather than overemphasizing hedonic-value-related content.

Comparison between mobile fitness apps users and gender on exercise intensity in university students

University students are an exclusive subcategory because most of them are young adults at a transformation period, training to stay independently while concurrently working toward completion of their professional degrees. Previous research reported that only 30% to 50% of university students meet the recommended proportion of exercise for health advantage. Mobile fitness apps are invented on purpose to support exercise. Many health advantages like preventing cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, it will marshal exercise and as mobile motivational tools because motivation is a major barrier to exercise. The present study was designed to investigate and compare the exercise intensity between the mobile fitness app users and none-users. The secondary purpose was to examine and compare the exercise intensity between gender from the university students. A total three hundred fifty-five university students were recruited in the study. The International Physical Activity Questionnaires- Short Form (IPAQ-SF) was used to collect exercise intensity of the participants in current study. All participants have been briefed on the objectives of this study and agreed to answer the International Physical Activity Questionnaires (IPAQ) and signed an informed consent form. The independent t-tests to determine the differences of the exercise intensity between mobile fitness app users and nonmobile fitness users. Independent t-tests also to find-out differences exercise intensity between gender in the university students, the statistical significance was set at p &lt; .05. There were significant differences of exercise intensity level between nonmobile fitness apps users and mobile fitness apps users [ t (352) = 2.82, p = .005, d = 0.28]. It means the nonmobile fitness apps users had a significant higher exercise intensity if compared to the mobile fitness apps users. There were significant differences of exercise intensity level between male and female university students [ t (352) = 4.54, p = .001, d = 0.48]. Current results are similar to many studies found that female students participated in less exercise than their male counterparts.

Fitness self-presentations on social media and the impact of social support on physical activities.

Social media serves as one of the primary outlets for self-presentation and receiving social support. Even when individuals portray themselves negatively, it might not necessarily be intended for social disapproval. Conversely, positive self-presentation doesn't always guarantee social support. This study examined the relationship between positive and negative fitness self-presentations on social media and the reception of supportive feedback. Additionally, it investigated how social support might influence individuals' self-efficacy, motivation, and participation in physical activities (PA). Participants were fitness app users recruited from a crowdsourcing internet marketplace who had shared their fitness experiences on social media. The results indicated that both types of self-presentation received social support: presenters receiving more social support showed higher self-efficacy for PA. Moreover, fitness posters with higher self-efficacy in PA showed greater motivation for PA. This research suggests that fitness self-presentation allows users to receive social support, fostering confidence and motivation for engaging in PA.

Exercise or lie down? The impact of fitness app use on users' wellbeing.

The use of fitness apps is becoming more and more widespread, and its impact on people's well-being has received more and more attention. The relationship between fitness app use and users' well-being and the influence mechanism was explored using structural equation modeling with upward social comparison as the mediating variable and self-control as the moderating variable. The questionnaire survey of 1,452 fitness app users over 18 years old shows that: (1) fitness app use is associated with users' well-being; (2) upward social comparison plays a mediating role in the relationship between fitness app use and users' well-being; (3) self-control has a moderating effect on the relationship between fitness app use and users' well-being. Self-control plays a significant moderating role between social comparison and well-being, upward social comparison can improve the well-being of high self-control users but reduce the well-being of low self-control users.

Unveiling the Impact of Mobile Fitness Applications on Motivational Orientation in Sustaining Exercise Behaviors: A Qualitative Investigation

Abstract Notably, a lack of motivation appears as a significant contributing factor to physical inactivity, which raises one’s susceptibility to noncommunicable diseases. While research indicates a strong link between smartphone fitness applications (apps) and people’s motivational orientation towards physical activity and exercise, the theoretical basis of fitness app features for sustaining exercise routines remains unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the utility of fitness apps as a behaviour modification tool on people’s motivation to maintain physical activity and exercise behaviour. Using individual semi-structured interviews, we collected detailed accounts from nine active male and female fitness app users (M age = 23.4 years, SD = 2.8). The findings of both inductive and deductive reflective thematic analysis revealed core themes emphasising that the use of fitness apps satisfies the participants’ psychological needs through fostering emotions of competence, autonomy, and relatedness. Furthermore, fitness apps make it easier to track progress, challenge oneself, and compete against other exercisers, which further motivates participants to sustain their exercise behaviours. Confirming the use of fitness apps as an effective behaviour change tool for sustaining healthy exercise routines, the findings offer valuable feedback on specific app features for fitness software and wearable device developers that could potentially enhance the functionality and impact of their apps. Further discussions include limitations and areas for future research, such as discerning the role of fitness apps in sustaining motivation among diverse age groups with specific health, sport, or lifestyle goals in varying sensory, social, and affective contexts.

Enhancing Perceived Health Competence: The Impact of Persuasive Social Support Features in Health and Fitness Apps

This study investigates how users’ perception of persuasive social support features influences perceptions of their health competence in health and fitness apps. Within the support of existing theories/frameworks on social support, the study develops a research model and hypotheses. Quantitative data was collected from 469 health and fitness app users and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modelling. The results demonstrates that providing users with a means to share their experiences out of the desire to boost their ego and gain social recognition as well as a means to learn new behaviors by observing and imitating other’s behaviors within the app increases their confidence in their capabilities to perform and maintain positive health and fitness behaviors and outcomes using the app. The findings suggest that users’ perception of their health competence can be significantly improved when social support features are incorporated into health and fitness apps.

Examining the impacts of fitness app features on user well-being

Drawing on the self-regulation theory, the current paper explores the impacts of two types of fitness app feature sets (i.e., personal-oriented and social-oriented features) on users’ health behavior and well-being. The results from fitness app users show that both personal-oriented features and social-oriented features of fitness apps can significantly improve exercise adherence and social engagement of users. Users’ exercise proficiency level negatively moderates the relationship between social-oriented features and (a) exercise adherence and (b) social engagement. High levels of social engagement promote users’ physical adherence to exercises. Exercise adherence and social engagement both enhance users’ subjective well-being, but their impacts on different dimensions of well-being vary. Furthermore, regardless of specific features, sufficient use of fitness apps, in general, can significantly help users lead more positive and healthier lives by maintaining exercise adherence, reducing emotional exhaustion, and improving their satisfaction with the overall quality of life. Our findings offer important insights into the underlying mechanisms that help explain fitness app features on users’ well-being, and on a practical level, provide suggestions for mobile app developers in designing better fitness app products and for exercisers in optimizing the benefits of fitness technology adoption.

An Integrated Model for Evaluating the Sustainability of Gamified Mobile Health Apps: An Instrument Development and Validation.

Mobile health (mHealth) apps are designed to support health behavior outcomes and improve well-being. The existing body of literature confirms mHealth's overall efficacy in promoting physical activity; however, more research on its utility in sustaining user engagement is needed. Understanding the determinants of an individual's willingness to continue using mHealth is vital to improving the intervention's success. This study developed a unified model and survey instrument adapted from extant literature while introducing new constructs to predict the sustained use of gamified mHealth. A pilot study was conducted to validate the survey instrument using 48 gamified fitness app users in Malaysia. The survey instrument was tested following rigorous guidelines for quantitative research in the information system context. According to the findings, the reliabilities of most measurement items met the criterion, and those items were retained. Overall, this paper contributes by integrating social comparison theory and the self-determination theory for sustaining user engagement with gamified mHealth through an extrinsic and intrinsic motivation perspective.

Explaining the Outcomes of Social Gamification: A Longitudinal Field Experiment

ABSTRACT Social gamification, which allows technology users to interact with each other in gamified tasks, has drawn increasing interest due to its effectiveness in facilitating users’ game engagement and task efforts. In social gamification, users can compete or cooperate with other users or teams to complete game tasks and achieve game goals. However, it remains unclear how various social interaction mechanisms (SIMs), such as cooperation, interpersonal competition, and intergroup competition, influence gamification outcomes when they are separately or jointly implemented. In addition, the effects of SIMs on experiential and instrumental gamification outcomes have not been well differentiated. In this study, we systematically investigate the influences of these fundamental SIMs, as well as the possible interaction effects among them, on fitness app users’ game engagement and fitness behavior. Using a fitness app custom-developed for the Chinese market, Fitness Castle, we conducted a longitudinal field experiment to test our proposed model and hypotheses. The results indicate that when separately implemented, cooperation and interpersonal competition can lead to differential instrumental gamification outcomes in the fitness context. We also systematically compare the differential gamification outcomes when cooperation, interpersonal competition, and intergroup competition are combined in various coopetition settings. Our study offers a theory-based framework and design principles for social gamification. Our findings help practitioners better design SIMs in their gamified technologies with the purpose of achieving optimal experiential and instrumental gamification outcomes simultaneously.

Investigating Health and Fitness App Users’ Stickiness, WOM, and Continuance Intention Using S-O-R Model: The Moderating Role of Health Consciousness

Regardless of its advantage, generally, statistics show low levels of mobile application retention for a long time by users. Thus, the current study tries to provide a deeper understanding of the health and fitness app users’ engagement and stickiness based on the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) model, as well as testing the moderating role of the health consciousness in the effect of users’ satisfaction and app-love on stickiness, WOM, and continuance intention. Data was collected from 394 respondents recruited using Google Forms using the self-selection sample technique. Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze the data. According to the findings, ISS model components (information quality, system quality, and service quality) significantly influence user engagement with health and fitness applications. Furthermore, user engagement has a significant and positive influence on user satisfaction and app-love. Furthermore, app satisfaction and app-love positively impact stickiness intention, word-of-mouth, and continuance intention. Moreover, the influence of user satisfaction on WOM and continuance intention is moderated by health consciousness. Additionally, the influence of app-love on stickiness intention, WOM, and continuance intention is moderated by health consciousness. This is the first study to integrate the ISS model and the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) model, as well as the health consciousness construct as a moderator, to propose a holistic framework of user engagement, satisfaction, app-love, stickiness intention, WOM, and continuance intention with health and fitness apps in the emergent markets.

A study on the effect of user experience of fitness APP on product trust and purchase intention

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to take fitness APP users as the research object from the perspective of user experience to explore the influence of fitness APP user experience factors on product trust and purchase intention. Design/methodology/approach - The study collected data on 275 customers who had experience buying and using fitness apps. To test the hypothesis, SPSS 27.0 and AMOS 26.0 statistical packages were used based on the collected data. Findings - The results showed that the user experience factors (usefulness, ease to use, enjoyment, interaction) of fitness APP and the relationship between product trust had a positive effect, and product trust had a positive effect on purchase intention. In addition, exercise experience, showed a moderating effect in the relationship between the usefulness, easy to use of user experience and product trust. Research implications or Originality - This study provided research model among user experience factors of fitness APP, product trust and purchase intention. This study can help sports and fitness companies with product optimization and marketing decisions.

Psychological Predictors of Intention to Use Fitness Apps: The Role of Subjective Knowledge and Innovativeness

Health and fitness apps have grown exponentially during covid-19 lockdowns. Using a sample of 331 European fitness apps users, this study investigated the psychological drivers of users’ intention on fitness apps. This study draws upon the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and innovation diffusion theory. Its findings reveal that subjective knowledge and personal innovativeness predict perceived Usefulness, health consciousness, and ease of use. The strongest predictor of intention to use an app is perceived Usefulness, which mediates the influence of subjective knowledge and innovativeness on intention to use. Health consciousness predicts ease of use; however, the latter does not predict behavioural intention. This is one of the first studies on European users of fitness apps and investigating the psychological antecedents of TAM, i.e., innovativeness, subjective knowledge, and consciousness.

Factors affecting users’ stickiness of fitness apps: an empirical study based on the S-O-R perspective

PurposeDespite fitness applications (apps) are increasingly downloaded by smartphone users in recent years, the usage behavior after initial adoption often lasts for a short period of time for most users. The purpose of this paper is to explore factors affecting stickiness of fitness app and then indicate how to retain existing users.Design/methodology/approachA research model was developed based on stimulus–organism–response (S-O-R) model. Using the data collected from 231 fitness app users through an online survey, the established model was empirically assessed by structural equation modeling (SEM).FindingsThe results show that human-to-information interaction and human-to-human interaction as environmental stimuli affect individuals' internal state, including social comparison and perception of fitness self-management, which consequently influence the stickiness of fitness apps.Originality/valueThe study provides new insights into the mechanism regarding why users are willing to continuously use fitness apps. Moreover, the understanding of social comparison among users in such process was also deepened.

Social comparison of fitness social media postings by fitness app users

Individuals tend to compare themselves with those whose attributes and abilities are better (i.e., upward social comparison) or worse (i.e., downward social comparison) than their own to evaluate self. Based on social comparison theory, this study examined the influence of fitness comparison on fitness app users' beliefs about (self-efficacy), attitudes toward (motivation), and behaviors in (participation) physical activities (PA). For the research, fitness app users who use social media were recruited (N = 567) through a crowdsourcing internet marketplace. The results revealed that downward fitness comparison appeared to thwart fitness app users' self-efficacy in PA, whereas upward fitness comparison appeared to enhance self-efficacy in PA. As a consequence, people who engaged in upward fitness comparison had elevated motivation and participation in PA. In particular, self-efficacy was a crucial variable in improving people's motivation for PA. Those who want to improve their fitness activities should engage in comparing themselves with high performers. The given managerial implication is that fitness practitioners should encourage people to compare their fitness abilities with better performers or role models, and fitness app developers should design apps that permit users to have more opportunities for comparison with superior others.

The Impact of Gamification on Flow and Continuous Use Intention on Fitness App Users

The Impact of Gamification on Flow and Continuous Use Intention on Fitness App Users

Research on the influence of fitness APp users’stickiness:-expansion modelbased on TAM theory

Research on the influence of fitness APp users’stickiness:-expansion modelbased on TAM theory

Core social network size is associated with physical activity participation for fitness app users: The role of social comparison and social support

The present study aimed to examine the effects of social networking functions of fitness apps on users' physical activity participation. Drawing on the input-mechanism-output framework in mHealth, tthis study connected the functions of a Chinese fitness app (WeRun) to users' step counts tracked by the app and examined the psychological mechanisms underlying the processes. Through a cross-sectional survey of WeRun users (N = 643), we found that the frequency of checking WeRun as well as users’ core network size (i.e., the number of friends followed on WeRun) positively correlated with physical activity participation. Social comparison mechanisms were explanatory of physical activity participation, but social support was not. Specifically, upward comparison was positively associated, and downward comparison was negatively associated with physical activity participation. Upward comparison also mediated the relationships between the two user-app inputs (i.e., frequency of checking and core network size) and physical activity participation. These findings reveal the theoretical mechanisms of fitness app functions and provide valuable insights for mHealth design.

Predicting Physical Exercise Adherence in Fitness Apps Using a Deep Learning Approach.

The use of mobile fitness apps has been on the rise for the last decade and especially during the worldwide SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, which led to the closure of gyms and to reduced outdoor mobility. Fitness apps constitute a promising means for promoting more active lifestyles, although their attrition rates are remarkable and adherence to their training plans remains a challenge for developers. The aim of this project was to design an automatic classification of users into adherent and non-adherent, based on their training behavior in the first three months of app usage, for which purpose we proposed an ensemble of regression models to predict their behaviour (adherence) in the fourth month. The study was conducted using data from a total of 246 Mammoth Hunters Fitness app users. Firstly, pre-processing and clustering steps were taken in order to prepare the data and to categorize users into similar groups, taking into account the first 90 days of workout sessions. Then, an ensemble approach for regression models was used to predict user training behaviour during the fourth month, which were trained with users belonging to the same cluster. This was used to reach a conclusion regarding their adherence status, via an approach that combined affinity propagation (AP) clustering algorithm, followed by the long short-term memory (LSTM), rendering the best results (87% accuracy and 85% F1_score). This study illustrates the suggested the capacity of the system to anticipate future adherence or non-adherence, potentially opening the door to fitness app creators to pursue advanced measures aimed at reducing app attrition.

Predicting future use intention of fitness apps among fitness app users in the United Kingdom: the role of health consciousness

PurposeThis study replicates and extends the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT2) to explain the drivers of future use intention of fitness apps among users. It extends existing theory by investigating continuance usage and adding health consciousness as a driver; an extension, which has implications for future studies on emerging technologies in the health care sector and beyond.Design/methodology/approachBuilding on the UTAUT2, the author built a path model of future app-use intention. A survey involving 591 respondents from the United Kingdom was conducted, and the data was analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling.FindingsThe results of this study confirm that five drivers explain future use intention, namely habit, perceived playfulness, health consciousness, perceived performance and price value. These findings have implications for sports marketing theory and practice, as well as for policymakers, in that health consciousness is important for fitness app adoption, which in turn has repercussions for entire health care systems.Originality/valueThis study makes two main contributions. It extends technology acceptance theory by using a sample of users to explain future use intention of fitness apps and adds the construct health consciousness as a nontechnological element of the continuance usage of fitness apps to the model. The result is a path model that confirms the importance of personal health consciousness and potential generalizability to future health industry technologies with further implications for sports marketing management theory and practice.