Fitness motivations in United States Airmen

The increased consumer use of wearable fitness trackers which began in the early 2010s, has provided researchers with the opportunity to better understand human motivations for fitness. While physical fitness remains vital to health and is recognized as a predictor of long-term healthcare cost, it is crucial to better understand how to influence lasting changes in behavior and how those changes are associated with different motivation. The United States Air Force requires members to adhere to certain fitness standards as a means to measure mission readiness as well as in consideration of healthcare costs throughout an Airmen’s career and into their retirement. Wearable fitness trackers offer an opportunity for the Air Force to increase physical fitness among Airmen by tailoring motivation tactics to fit their individual needs. This article will review the differing types of human motivation that drive fitness by examining them in relation to self-determination theory and exploring how wearable fitness trackers can be utilized in conjunction with this to improve fitness among Airmen

Beyond Intrinsic Motivation:Why Researchers Should Consider the Full Motivation Continuum in Games for Health Research

Research within the domain of games for health has predominantly focused on individuals' intrinsic motivation characterized by an inherent enjoyment of the activity. Despite the apparent benefits of intrinsic motivation, we argue that it is imperative to adopt a more nuanced and refined perspective on motivation. Relying on the motivation continuum as outlined within Self-Determination Theory, research within this domain needs to distinguish between both intrinsic and extrinsic (i.e., external, introjected, identified, and integrated regulation) types of motivation. Researchers should, therefore, embrace instruments that assess a broader continuum of motivation rather than just intrinsic motivation alone. By doing so, future research can yield more insight into what fosters autonomous forms of motivation in the field of health-related games, including intrinsic and identified and integrated regulation

Examining the Impacts of Fitness App Functionalities

The proliferation of the smartphones and wearable devices has given rise to the fitness app as one of the major app categories in current mobile app market. Drawing on the social cognitive theory, this study explores the impacts of fitness app functionalities on users’ behavioral and psychological outcomes, in terms of exercise adherence and social engagement. Data from 267 college students at a public university in the United States indicated that personal-oriented functionalities of fitness apps can significantly improve both exercise adherence and social engagement of users; however, social-oriented functionalities can only help with perceived social engagement. Users’ exercise proficiency level negatively moderates the relationship between personal-oriented functionalities and social engagement. Moreover, our findings show that perceived social engagement can encourage users’ physical adherence to exercises. Implications and limitations of this study are discussed

Clarifying the Relationship Between Fitness Apps’ Affordances and Features

Affordance theory posits that users\u27 engagement with technology can form affordances that facilitate goal-oriented actions. Studies investigating affordances of fitness apps employed diverse definitions of affordances. Relying on the affordance theory, we developed principles to help identify fitness apps\u27 affordances: (1) affordances require users\u27 perception of their usefulness, (2) app features exist regardless of users\u27 perception, and (3) a single affordance can be enabled by multiple features. Using these principles, we examined fitness apps\u27 affordances reported in the literature. Our results show that 12 affordances out of the 17 followed the principles, and the remainder are features of the apps. We then mapped the 12 affordances against Fitbit app\u27s features. Our mapping identified several instances where multiple features can enable a single affordance and a single Fitbit feature could enable multiple affordances. Our findings enhance research studying the roles the features and affordances play in users’ engagement with fitness apps

Giving What a User Needs: Constructing Reference Groups in Fitness Technologies

Mobile fitness technologies are designed to support exercise behavior. A distinguishing aspect of these technologies is their social component. Though research has examined the social support effects of this social component, less attention has been given to its social comparison effects. A fundamental aspect of social comparison is the referent groups on which the comparison is based. The paper examines the relative effects on exercise behavior of social comparisons based on referent groups constructed using demographic similarity, goal similarity, and social closeness. We will test our proposed design through a randomized field experiment on a mobile fitness application

User Satisfaction with Wearables

This study investigates user satisfaction with wearable technologies. It proposes that the integration of expectation confirmation theory with affordance theory sheds light on the sources of user’s (dis)confirmation when evaluating technology performance experiences and explains the origins of satisfaction ratings. A qualitative and quantitative analysis of online user reviews of a popular fitness wristband supports the research model. Since the band lacks buttons and numeric displays, users need to interact with the companion software to obtain the information they need. Findings indicate that satisfaction depends on the interaction’s quality, the value of digitalizing physical activity, and the extent to which the informational feedback meets users’ needs. Moreover, the results suggest that digitalizing physical activity has different effects for different users. While some appreciate data availability in general regardless of their accuracy, those who look for precision do not find such quantification useful. Thus, their evaluative judgments depend on the wearable system’s actual performance and the influence that the feedback has on their pursuit of their fitness goals. These results provide theoretical and practical contributions to advance our understanding of wearable technologies

Understanding Continuance Intention to Use Mobile Fitness Services: The Roles of Technological Characteristics and Network Effects

Mobile fitness platforms are effective in promoting healthy behaviors but these platforms generally suffer from low retention rates. It is necessary to study how to retain users of mobile fitness platforms. Based on customer value theory and Socio-technical approach, this study proposed a theoretical model to study the factors that affect users’ continuance intention to use mobile fitness platforms from a holistic perspective. A total of 320 valid questionnaires were collected to verify the model. The results indicate that utilitarian value and hedonic value are positively related to continuance intention. Social ties are negatively related to continuance intention. Meanwhile, it is found that technological characteristics have significant positive influences on utilitarian value, hedonic value and social ties. Network effects have significant positive influences on hedonic value and social ties. These findings extend our understanding of users’ continued usage of mobile fitness platforms and provide practical implications for mobile fitness service providers

How are Digital Micro-Influencers Driving the Social Commerce?

Digital micro-influencers (DMIs) seem to drive social commerce as they connect with customers in tier-II towns better than others. The extant literature on the efforts and work processes of DMIs is limited. The present study fills the gap through a qualitative study in India. Using the persuasion knowledge model as a guiding framework, nineteen qualitative in-depth interviews with the DMIs were conducted and analyzed using thematic analysis. The study finds that understanding the target (target knowledge) helps DMIs in selecting appropriate brands (topic knowledge) and creating compelling content (persuasion knowledge), leading to social commerce. Also, topic knowledge assists persuasion knowledge. The study further offers insights into the nature of the motivators on the DMIs in the light of organismic integration theory. Theoretical and managerial implications for future research are provided

Unravelling the Influence of Online Social Context on Consumer Health Information Technology (CHIT) Implementations

While health information technology research has examined a variety of topics (e.g., adoption and assimilation of technology within healthcare organizations, critical success factors), it has remained unclear how the uniqueness of the online context (e.g., users connecting with strangers for social and emotional support) influences consumer health information technology (CHIT) implementations. Towards this goal, this dissertation examines the influence of online social context on CHIT implementations and outcomes. Using theories from social psychology, this dissertation encompasses two empirical research essays. The first essay draws on the environmental enrichment concept to examine the influential role of the online social context of a gamified CHIT on its success. By surveying existing fitness technology users, we demonstrate the influence of the social context enabled by CHITs on behavioral adherence to exercise. The second essay draws on construal level theory to examine the influence of textual information (such as race, geographic location) in online patient communities on a user’s trust of the community and the system as well as their intentions to participate in them. Using randomized experiments, we identify some of the propinquity-related factors that influence a user’s trust in online patient communities. The key contribution of this dissertation is the advancement of our understanding of the important role played by the social context enabled by the CHITs

Fitness Technology and Exercise Engagement: How Technology Affordances Facilitate Fitness Goal Attainment

To realize desired health returns, fitness technology providers, users, and corporate wellness program managers need to understand how individuals’ different uses of fitness technologies influence their fitness experience and fitness goal achievements. Thus, this study draws on the theory of affordances and the concept of engagement to develop and empirically test a model of fitness technology use as goal-directed behavior. Doing so highlights the relationship between trying to use fitness technologies and trying to perform fitness activities with fitness goal attainment. Our results show that while actualized self-appraisal affordance amplifies users’ cognitive exercise engagement, cognitive exercise engagement does not significantly influence fitness goal attainment. Furthermore, actualized self-appraisal and social appraisal affordances enhance users’ emotional exercise engagement, positively influencing fitness goal attainment. Thus, facilitating the actualization of self-appraisal and social appraisal affordances that increase individuals’ emotional exercise engagement is essential to the effective use of fitness technologies