The Intention to Use Fitness and Physical Activity Apps: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Recently the development of new technologies has produced an increase in the number of studies that try to evaluate consumer behavior towards the use of sports applications. The aim of this study is to perform a systematic review of the literature on the intention to use mobile applications (Apps) related to fitness and physical activity by consumers. This systematic review is a critical evaluation of the evidence from quantitative studies in the field of assessment of consumer behavior towards sport applications. A total of 13 studies are analyzed that propose models for evaluating the intentions to use fitness applications by sport consumers. The results revealed several key conclusions: (a) Technology Acceptance Model is the most widely used model; (b) the relationship between perceived utility and future intentions is the most analyzed; and (c) the most evaluated applications are diet/fitness. These findings could help technology managers to know the most important key elements to take into account in the development of future applications in sport organizations.

The Use of Online Training Tools in Competition Cyclists During COVID-19 Confinement in Spain

“…Therefore, as found in other fields of application ( Gershkovich et al, 2020 ; Oh et al, 2020 ; Price et al, 2020 ) and in applications more related to physical activity for health purposes ( Leahy et al, 2019 ; Angosto et al, 2020 ; Gür et al, 2020 ; Kim et al, 2020 ), our results also affect the usefulness of the online training tools for a specific field of sport, cycling. Moreover, considering that our sample also includes professional sportsmen, the results can be applied also in the professional world, which could be extrapolated to other fields of professional sport.…”

“…To our knowledge there is little information about the use of these applications in the case of professional or competition athletes despite the large offer and benefits. In the case of cycling, we have not found any studies investigating whether these apps are used, although a study with people who regularly use the bicycle shows that the use of GPS smartphone apps is associated with a higher frequency of cycling and a greater perception of strength ( Angosto et al, 2020 ). Additionally, in recent years the use by competition cyclists of virtual training simulators that improve performance of conventional rollers has increased.…”

Use of Digital Media for Home-Based Sports Activities during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results from the German SPOVID Survey

“…Online fitness clubs and influencers enable their followers and members to engage in fitness activities nearly anywhere and anytime, while social media platforms showcase lifestyle sports and fitness trends and distribute health- and fitness-related messages [ 4 ]. Many accounts elaborate on experiences with using fitness and physical activity apps or wearable devices [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ]. Others assess the contribution of these technologies for physical activity levels [ 13 , 14 , 15 ] or explore gender and age differences in the usage of fitness apps [ 16 ].…”

Determinants of Fitness App Usage and Moderating Impacts of Education-, Motivation-, and Gamification-Related App Features on Physical Activity Intentions: Cross-sectional Survey Study

“…Despite the fact that the original studies supported these proposed moderator relationships, previous studies on mobile health and fitness apps applying the UTAUT or UTAUT2 did not fully consider them [14,15,[18][19][20][21]49]. The moderators have been meta-analyzed and suggested as worthy of study [22] or noted as future work [19].…”

“…Finally, despite the fact that the moderating effects of individual-difference variables (eg, age, gender, and experience) have been theorized and empirically assessed [9], they have largely been neglected in prior research on mobile health and fitness apps [18][19][20][21]. However, their relevance was shown in a post hoc meta-analysis, for example, in which age was a significant moderator [22].…”