A Qualitative Exploration of Womens' Experiences Who Belong to a "Fitness Community".

Background: A promising method for improving physical inactivity among women is to increase their engagement in group-based exercise programs. Fitness communities are exercise groups that practice the principles of group dynamics and promote a lifestyle of physical activity by engaging members through social media and hosting social event/hangouts outside of the gym or "fitness" setting. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the role of "fitness communities" as a mechanism for increasing engagement in physical activity. Methods: In-depth, semi-structured interviews (N = 15) from women who were members of an established fitness community (i.e. Titan Fitness; the original name has been changed for purposes of anonymity) in Southern California. Results: Results suggested that the women's experiences in Titan Fitness were encompassed by six sub-themes which were the following: Structured Exercise Classes with Group Dynamics: (1) personal and group accountability and (2) minimizing intimidation; Social Media Engagement: (3) empowerment and (4) accountability via online engagement; and Engagement Outside of the Physical Gym Setting: (5) in-group engagement and (6) out-group (extended) engagement. Discussion: Our findings illustrated that community members that were engaged in all three components of a fitness community described improved physical activity adherence. Translation to Health Practice: These findings may benefit fitness professionals, researchers, and Health Education practitioners who desire to develop innovative theoretically-based interventions for women having difficulty with physical activity adherence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of American Journal of Health Education is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)