Evaluation of exercise participants’ motives and its relation with their satisfaction and loyalty with the fitness center
Abstract
The study’s aim was to evaluate the participation motives of fitness centres’ and fitness studios’ participants. Moreover, it examined how these motives relate with customer satisfaction and loyalty. The sample consisted of 378 fitness centers’ and studios’ members, the majority of whom were women, customers of fitness centers. Participants filled in the Exercise Motivation Inventory-2 (EMI-2), of Markland and Ingledew (1997), which items were translated into Greek with the back-to-back procedure. Exploratory Factory Analysis and reliability analysis (Cronbach a) were performed in order to examine the scale’s validity and reliability. Analyses led to 39 motivational items which loaded in nine factors: health, social recognition, weight management/appearance, strength & endurance, affiliation, health pressures, nimbleness and challenge, with quite high internal consistency. Regression analysis revealed that fitness centers’/studios’ members’ satisfaction may be predicted by social recognition, stress management/ enjoyment, affiliation and health pressures exercise motivation factors. Customer loyalty, on the other hand, may be predicted by positive health, weight management/appearance, strength & endurance and health pressures motives. Understanding the members’ participation motives may result to their satisfaction and, mainly, their loyalty.References
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