Detection, recording and classification of motives for training in private fitness centers

Postgraduate Thesis uoadl:2933765 112 Read counter

Unit:
Κατεύθυνση Οργάνωση Αθλητισμού
Library of the School of Physical Education and Sport Science
Deposit date:
2021-02-01
Year:
2021
Author:
PAPANTONIOU ILIAS
Supervisors info:
Αυθίνος Ιωάννης Καθηγητής ΤΕΦΑΑ ΕΚΠΑ
Λάιος Αθανάσιος Καθηγητής ΤΕΦΑΑ Δημοκρίτειο Πανεπιστήμιο Θράκης
Κωνσταντίνος Αλεξανδρής Καθηγητής ΤΕΦΑΑ Αριστοτέλειο Πανεπιστήμιο Θεσσαλονίκης
Original Title:
Ανίχνευση, καταγραφή και ταξινόμηση κινήτρων για άσκηση σε ιδιωτικά γυμναστήρια
Languages:
Greek
English
Translated title:
Detection, recording and classification of motives for training in private fitness centers
Summary:
The quality of the services provided by private fitness centers is a particularly important issue when it comes to marketing, as it is directly related to customer satisfaction and essentially to their retention on the market (Alexandris, Zahariadis, Tsorbatzoudis, & Grouios, 2004).
The challenge, therefore, of providing fitness services becomes less demanding when marketing managers know their clients' view of the services they offer, their personal characteristics and, most importantly, the reasons why they work out. Consequently, compiling and understanding these elements can indicate the direction in which they should invest time and resources in order to increase the chance of trainees having a positive experience that meets their expectations. Although this is a very important issue for the management of private fitness centers (especially in periods of economic and social distress where the competition is getting stronger and gym-goers are reduced), there is no comprehensive instrument for collecting such data.
The aim of this thesis is therefore to: (a) create a "management tool - questionnaire" to record the clients’ internal incentives of attending fitness centers and (b) analyze and understand their related consumer behavior.
The sample of this study consisted of n = 440 trainees from nine private fitness centers in the Attica region of Greece, who were randomly selected to fill out a questionnaire regarding their motivation for working out.
The review of the international bibliography regarding the creation of an internal motivation "questionnaire management tool" for exercising in gyms, showed a list of 166 different internal motivation exercises which through factor analysis formed a final questionnaire of 44 questions.
The statistical analysis of the questionnaire examination concluded that it is valid because it was secured by: (a) using Delphi Technique (Linstone & Turoff, 1975) and (b) utilizing the content of an existing published questionnaire (Driver et al, 1983) and reliable as the internal affinity factor (Gronbach a) analysis was performed to confirm its credibility of a=0.98.
Data analysis based on demographic characteristics showed hierarchical rankings, of motives for exercising. The 10 most important ones were used for further analysis through the one-way ANOVA parameter testing in that was tested if the average values corresponding to the internal exercise motivation differ statistically among the various demographic groups of the survey participants. The results showed that in terms of gender-based internal motivation to exercize, women statistically attach significantly more importance than men. The geographic location of the gym was also found to significantly differentiate one’s internal motivation for exercise, whereas the age and the educational level does not.
In conclusion, the internal motivations assessed as the most important by the trainees, apart from the obvious ones for "exercise", "physical health" and "maintenance of physical fitness", were the motives concerning "safety" in exercising and also the internal motivations regarding "alternative forms" of exercising and an "escape from life routine".
Main subject category:
Education - Sport science
Keywords:
Customer workout motivation in gyms, quality of fitness services, sports and leisure incentives, private gyms, fitness centers, fitness marketing.
Index:
Yes
Number of index pages:
3
Contains images:
Yes
Number of references:
50
Number of pages:
129
ypostirixi_papantoniou (PDF).pdf (845 KB) Open in new window