Repository logo

Browsing by Author "Kirksey, Zoe, author"

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Reasons for joining and adhering to a community-based fitness program among middle-aged and older adults
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) Kirksey, Zoe, author; Leach, Heather, advisor; Burke, Kimberly, committee member; Brothers, Allyson, committee member
    Purpose: Community-based fitness (CBF) programs address common barriers to physical activity (PA) participation for middle-aged and older adults and can help to increase regular PA. However, engagement in CBF programs among middle-aged and older adults is suboptimal, and those who do join tend to not adhere long-term. This study examined reasons for joining and adhering to a CBF program and explore common characteristics among long-term members. Methods: Observational, cross-sectional cohort study. Participants were monthly paying members of Adult Fitness, a CBF program at Colorado State University. Participants completed a 24-question quantitative survey, and monthly membership length was determined from participant records. To determine reasons for joining and adhering to Adult Fitness, two 5-point Likert scale questions, on a scale from 1(not motivated at all) to 5 (extremely motivated) were used. The response options were the same and consisted of unique aspects of Adult Fitness and replicated responses from a previous study. Frequency statistics were run on both questions and "motivated a great deal" and "extremely motivated" percentages were summed to determine most prevalent reasons for joining and most prevalent reasons for adhering. Long-term adhering members were defined as having a membership length of ≥5 years, and common characteristics were determined by a response that had more than a 50% response rate. Frequency statistics were run on survey questions to determine common characteristics. Results: The survey was distributed to N=151 members, and N=95 returned, for a response rate of 62%. There were n=8 duplicate and incomplete surveys, leaving a total of N=88 surveys included in analyses. Respondents were 70.5% older adults, 65+, 26.1% middle-aged adults, 35-64, and 3.4% young adults 18-34. Respondents were 50% female, and 50% male and average membership length was 132 months, 11 years (SD=142.8 months; range=563 months). For aim 1, the most frequently reported reasons for joining the Adult Fitness program were facilities available which 79.3% selected "motivated a great deal" or "extremely motivated", followed by self-initiated search for an activity program, 74.7%, and low cost, 60%. Most frequently reported reasons for adhering, were self-initiated desire to promote fitness and/or overall health, 95.4%, facilities available, 80.4%, and low cost, 60%. For aim 2, long-term adhering members (N=58) were motivated to join due to facilities available or self-initiated search for an activity program, motivated to adhere due to self-initiated desire to promote fitness and/or overall health, facilities available, and low cost, reported their current physical as either "good" or "very good", selected either "improvement of health" or "help me stay active" as their most perceived benefit of participating in Adult Fitness, attended the program on average of 3-days a week, and participated in 21-60 min of physical activity (PA) outside of Adult Fitness per day. Conclusion and Clinical Implications: The current study offers valuable insight to CBF program staff and organizational leaders. Understanding motivators of joining and adhering to CBF programs can contribute to tailoring these programs to increase membership and promote long-term participation/membership. These strategies may include offering competitive pricing, adding to existing facilities to cater to interest or needs of members and providing educational resources and progress tracking tools to keep members informed of their health status and/or improvement. Future studies are needed to better understand reasons for discontinuing CBF program.