Project Description
The pandemic has affected the work of many areas of business associated with the gathering of people in public places. Gyms and fitness centers were also shut down, and then they changed the structure and rules of their work to ensure the safety of visitors. However, despite the changes, many people still avoid gyms and fitness centers due to fear of contamination with COVID-19 and its new strains. For this reason, the aim of our study will be to examine the changes in sports habits of people, as well as their intention to visit fitness centers in the near future. The study will also include preferred training formats and measures necessary to ensure the comfort of visitors, which is essential information for gym owners needing to adapt during a pandemic.
Type of Study
We will use a quantitative design structure for this research. Online tools such as e-mails and Google forms will be used to collect information, and data will be analyzed using spreadsheets and statistical analysis tools. This study refers to the primary quantitative research methods, specifically a survey of respondents. This approach is most appropriate for the topic, since it allows us to cover a relatively large sample of respondents and identify general trends among the population. Moreover, this type of research is convenient for collecting information and analysis because it does not require the personal presence of respondents and takes a short time.
Target Population and Sample Size
Sports and moderate physical activity are necessary for all people; therefore, the target population in this study is a fairly broad audience. However, the study will involve people who visit or have previously visited gyms and fitness centers to make it easier to gather information and weed out irrelevant requests. Thus, the target population will be current and former East Coast gyms and fitness centers’ visitors over 18 years old. The expected sample size will be 130-150 people to cover all population groups by age, gender, employment, and other socio-demographic characteristics.
Sample Design and Data Collection
The primary way of collecting information will be online forms. Gyms and fitness centers that will agree to participate in the study will send their current and former clients surveys via email, messengers, or SMS. Questions will be submitted in Google forms, which will be opened via a link in the message. The survey will be anonymous, and restrictions will ensure that the survey is completed only once from one phone number or email address. The sampling method will be convenience and snowball sampling, which will help attract enough people to participate in the study.
Questionnaire Design
The questionnaire will be compiled by using Google Forms. The first set of questions will address the demographics of the respondents, such as age, gender, race, education, financial status, and chronic diseases. The second part of the questions will be aimed at determining changes in the sports behavior of the respondents. For example, this part will include questions about playing sports or exercising during a pandemic and its forms, such as online training, outdoor activities, going to the gym, or not being physically active. In addition, some of the questions will also relate to the reasons for refusing to visit sports centers, such as fear of infection, closure of a favorite gym, inconvenience due to a format change, or the need to wear a mask. The third set of questions will ask respondents about their future intentions and aspects that influence their choice. For example, how much will vaccination affect the respondent’s decision to visit sports centers, or how important is the size of the groups and the number of visitors in the room, as well as various protective measures (masks, disinfection, disposable protective covers). While the second part will have multiple-choice questions, the third part will use the Likert scale. In this way, the data will be able to reflect the intentions of people to visit the gym, as well as the impact on them of demographic characteristics and certain organizational aspects.
Proposed Analysis
The research will focus on determining the relationships between different variables. First, we will analyze the influence of demographic characteristics on the intention to attend gyms or fitness centers. The most important in this category are also chronic diseases of respondents. Secondly, the analysis will also be aimed at determining the relationship between respondents’ use of new formats of sports activities, for example, online training, and the intention to visit sports centers. Third, we will also analyze factors that influence respondents’ intention, such as vaccinations and measures to ensure the safety of visitors or their cancellation. All variables will be analyzed statistically using the latest software.
Deliverables and Benefits of the Research
The results and findings of this study will be beneficial in several ways. First, the research will show how people’s sports and activity habits changed during the pandemic, since the closure and restrictions of gyms have deprived many people of the most convenient and simple way of exercising. Therefore, identifying current sports activities among people who were physically active before the pandemic may partially reflect changes in overall population activity, which is a significant health factor.
Moreover, the findings can also be helpful to the owners of sport and fitness centers because they demonstrate the visitors’ needs. For example, if a financial state influences customers’ intentions, the owners can offer discounts. At the same time, understanding the importance of measures such as disinfecting equipment or the number of people for group activities will also help determine the optimal conditions for attracting customers and generating profit for fitness centers. Thus, the findings can have both theoretical and practical applications.