DROPPING OUT OF THE FITNESS SPORT AMONG WOMEN

Abstract

In the evaluations and statistical analyses presented here, it is examined to what extent, regarding women; the various reasons for quitting activity in a gym are age-dependent. In other words, are the motives for quitting this activity different in older women than in younger women? According to the life stages, do other aspects, e.g. priorities in life, health problems or other family and professional requirements, affect the decision and, if so, how strong is their effect? A total of 164 women, who had terminated their contract with a fitness studio, were questioned. The study was conducted in a health-oriented fitness centre in east Cologne. The fitness facility was opened in 1994 and has a size of 1,100 square meters. At the time of the study, the gym had up to 1,151 memberships. Among them, 59% of the members were women and 41% were men. According to the survey results, it is obvious that only a few of the quitting reasons offered in the survey are also indicated in significant frequency as important for the quitting decision. With the exception of membership costs, these reasons have nothing to do with studio conditions, but rather, apart from the mentioned health problems, mainly address issues of time scheduling and prioritizing the training in relation to other areas of life.

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