Understanding continued fitness app utilization: An extended expectation- confirmation model framework and the role of gratifications
(A2025-123435)

AUTHORS

Teresa Ries, Universität Bayreuth; Daniel Baier, University of Bayreuth, Germany

ABSTRACT

As users increasingly demand to take charge of their health, digital tools such as fitness apps are being used in unprecedented ways. The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened the importance of health promotion and fundamentally changed how consumers use and access fitness apps. De-spite the exponential rate at which fitness apps are introduced to the market, most users cease using them soon after their initial trial. This study evaluates the antecedents to confirmation and satisfaction and their mediating roles by considering psychological and motivational aspects in determining users’ fitness app continuance intentions. It draws from three well-established theo-retical models: the expectation confirmation model, flow theory, and uses and gratifications the-ory. Based on structural equation modeling, empirical data from 403 German fitness app users verified the proposed research model. Perceived usefulness and flow experience positively and significantly affect satisfaction. Perceived ease of use, perceived enjoyment, and social influence are essential to confirmation, reinforcing continued fitness app utilization. Our findings help developers align app design with user needs, fostering higher satisfaction and retention. Intui-tive and personalized functions and gamification drive users’ continued use and present essen-tial building blocks for digitalized healthcare prevention in the future. Against their irrefutable importance, the influence of user‐related psychological and motivational aspects on the post-adoption patterns of fitness apps has not been analyzed in depth in the literature, especially not after COVID-19, which has led to significant changes in consumers’ usage behaviors of apps. This study bridges the gap in the literature. Understanding fitness apps’ continued use is essen-tial to address changing user needs and expectations and ensure that the apps meet user de-mands and remain relevant to pave the way for digitized prevention measures.