Batrakoulis Alexios, Banićević Željko, Banićević Ivana, Arumugam Ashokan, Marović Ivan, Krstić Nemanja, Obradović Saša
Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, University of Thessaly, Trikala, Greece.
Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, Democritus University of Thrace, Komotini, Greece.
AIMS Public Health. 2024 Jul 5;11(3):861-885. doi: 10.3934/publichealth.2024044. eCollection 2024.
The health and fitness (H&F) sector is rapidly evolving and appears to be a vibrant space for industry stakeholders with a great potential globally. This observational study aimed to identify the most popular trends related to H&F services in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the first time, focused on the industry status after the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and aimed to detect potential differences with the recent results observed in other countries or regions. Additionally, a chi-square analysis was applied to determine the significant differences between trends and demographics, such as sex, age, experience, and work status. A national online survey was conducted, and applied the methodology of similar international surveys that have been carried out by the American College of Sports Medicine since 2006. In particular, simple random sampling was utilized through an online questionnaire sent to 2771 professionals involved in the UAE's H&F sector. In total, 322 responses were collected with a response rate of 11.6%. The 10 most popular H&F trends in the UAE during the post-COVID-19 era were exercise for weight loss, personal training, traditional strength training, employing certified exercise professionals, boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, youth athletic development, high-intensity interval training, massage, bodyweight training, and wearable technologies. Exercise for weight loss ( = 0.001) and lifestyle medicine ( = 0.032) were more popular among females compared to males, while traditional strength training ( = 0.035) was reported more frequently by males. Going to health clubs and spas ( = 0.001) and practicing yoga ( = 0.011) were more popular trends among middle-aged (36-64 years) respondents compared to young ones (18-34 years). Athletic development ( = 0.042) was more frequently reported by non-practitioners (students) compared to practitioners (part- and full-time employees). The present results are partially in line with those reported in other recent national, regional, and global surveys, which investigated the top H&F trends after the COVID-19 pandemic. Importantly, the main outcomes of this study indicate that the industry stakeholders should focus on in-person H&F services since trends related to technology and digital services are not currently popular nationwide. Moreover, the majority of the top trends were more traditional and rooted activities, which showed that the current status of the H&F sector has established particular training services, programs, and products in the UAE.
健康与健身（H&F）行业正在迅速发展，对于全球具有巨大潜力的行业利益相关者而言，这似乎是一个充满活力的领域。这项观察性研究旨在首次确定阿拉伯联合酋长国（阿联酋）与H&F服务相关的最流行趋势，聚焦于冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行后的行业状况，并旨在发现与其他国家或地区近期观察结果的潜在差异。此外，应用卡方分析来确定趋势与人口统计学特征（如性别、年龄、经验和工作状态）之间的显著差异。开展了一项全国性在线调查，并采用了美国运动医学学院自2006年以来进行的类似国际调查的方法。具体而言，通过向2771名阿联酋H&F行业专业人士发送在线问卷进行简单随机抽样。总共收集到322份回复，回复率为11.6%。COVID-19后时代阿联酋最流行的10大H&F趋势是减肥运动、个人训练、传统力量训练、聘请有资质的运动专业人士、拳击、踢拳、综合格斗、青少年运动发展、高强度间歇训练、按摩、自重训练和可穿戴技术。与男性相比，减肥运动（ = 0.001）和生活方式医学（ = 0.032）在女性中更受欢迎，而男性报告传统力量训练（ = 0.035）的频率更高。与年轻人（18 - 34岁）相比，中年（36 - 64岁）受访者中去健身俱乐部和水疗中心（ = 0.001）以及练习瑜伽（ = 0.011）是更流行的趋势。与从业者（兼职和全职员工）相比，非从业者（学生）报告运动发展（ = 0.042）的频率更高。目前的结果部分与其他近期关于COVID-19大流行后顶级H&F趋势的全国性、地区性和全球性调查结果一致。重要的是，本研究的主要结果表明行业利益相关者应关注面对面的H&F服务，因为与技术和数字服务相关的趋势目前在全国范围内并不受欢迎。此外，大多数顶级趋势是更传统且根基深厚的活动，这表明H&F行业的当前状况在阿联酋已经确立了特定的培训服务、项目和产品。
