From e-service quality to behavioral intention to use e-fitness services post COVID-19 lockdown: When a crisis changes the social mindset.

Lockdowns resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic forced fitness centers to quickly adapt their entire offering to an online format. The subsequent health situation facilitated the maintenance of the online offer and has been a paradigm shift for sports centers. Success in the nowadays situation requires a proper understanding of what factors influence e-service quality and how these factors behave in relation to consumer satisfaction, attitudes toward online fitness services, and behavioral intentions. This research was conducted in April 2020, with 745 participants (492 women, 253 men) completing the Carlson and O'Cass e-service quality evaluation battery. The results showed that e-service quality during the lockdowns predicted attitudes toward the digital platforms and behavioral intentions, and e-service quality predicted attitudes and behavioral intentions. However, attitudes did not predict behavioral intentions; the possible influence of subjective norms and low perceived control in this particular situation is discussed. When offering services on digital platforms, fitness service managers must take into account the importance of the quality of the e-fitness service, but also the social context in which it is offered. Psychosocial functioning in times of crisis influences users' perceived control and their future intention to use online services.

Effects of lifestyle behaviours and depressed mood on sleep quality in young adults. A machine learning approach.

BACKGROUND: Modern lifestyles may lead to high stress levels, frequently associated with mood disorders (e.g. depressed mood) and sleep disturbance. The objective of this study was to develop a machine learning model aimed at identifying risk factors for developing poor sleep quality in young adults. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The sample consisted of 383 college-aged students (mean age ± SD: 21 ± 1 years; 61% males). Sleep quality, mood state, physical activity, number of sitting hours, and smartphone use were measured. RESULTS: A decision tree algorithm distinguished participants' sleep quality with 74% accuracy using a combination of four features: depressed mood, physical activity, sitting time, and vigour. Together with depressed mood, both physical activity (>6432 metabolic equivalent tasks -METs- per week) and sedentary behaviour (sitting time greater than 7 h/day) were the primary features that could differentiate those with poor sleep quality from those with good sleep quality. CONCLUSIONS: We provided a decision tree model with a sensitivity of 90.7% and a specificity of 54.3%, with an AUC of 0.725. These findings could promote improvements in prevention strategies and contribute to the development of meaningful and evidence-based intervention programs.

The Promotion of Physical Activity from Digital Services: Influence of E-Lifestyles on Intention to Use Fitness Apps.

E-Lifestyles are individual forms of behavior in the digital environment that reflect the values, activities, interests, and opinions of consumers. Likewise, fitness Apps are considered technological tools for promoting physical activity online. Although there are studies related to sports lifestyles, it has not been analyzed yet how e-lifestyles are related to the use of fitness Apps. Based on this, this study represents a step to clarify how e-lifestyles influence different relationships with perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, attitude, and intentions to use Fitness Apps. Therefore, the objective of the study was to analyze the relationship between the e-lifestyles of consumers of Boutique fitness centers and their relationship with the perceived ease of use, the perceived usefulness, the attitude, and the intention to use Fitness Apps. The sample was 591 customers (378 women and 213 men) of 25 Boutique fitness centers. An online questionnaire was used for data collection. Data was analyzed with confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation model. Findings provide an insight into the importance of e-lifestyles in the intention of using fitness Apps and therefore in promoting physical activity through online fitness services. The results showed positive relationships between e-lifestyles, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness and attitude toward fitness Apps. Finally, the attitude toward fitness Apps offered a very high predictive value on use intention. This study provides a better understanding of consumer´s intention to use fitness Apps. The conclusions and recommendations for sports managers of fitness centers highlight the importance of e-lifestyles as a predecessor for the use of fitness Apps.

Importance-Performance Matrix Analysis (IPMA) to Evaluate Servicescape Fitness Consumer by Gender and Age.

The fitness sector has always been linked to the analysis of the loyalty of its consumers. Different studies have shown the importance of sports service and human resources for greater customer loyalty. However, few works have studied how the physical environment or servicescape influences the behavior of consumers in fitness centers based on gender and age. Therefore, the objective of the study was to analyze the relationship between servicescape and the loyalty of fitness center consumers, analyzing through the Importance-Performance Matrix Analysis (IPMA) what the aspects to improve according to gender and age are. The sample was 10,368 fitness center customers (5864 women and 4504 men). After the IPMA, it was concluded that the main improvement margins in general in fitness centers were the equipment and the facility condition, and the facility layout. In turn, in relation to gender and age, the aspects with room for improvement were to a greater extent for equipment and facility condition in women over 21 years of age, and in facility layout for women between 21 and 40 years old and 51-60 years old. Regarding men, the aspects with the highest performance margins were the equipment and facility condition in all the age groups, the facility layout in men up to 50 years old, and the signage in men up to 40 years old and from 51 to 60 years old.

Associations of Objectively-Assessed Smartphone Use with Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, Mood, and Sleep Quality in Young Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study.

This study assesses the associations of objectively-measured smartphone time with physical activity, sedentary behavior, mood, and sleep patterns among young adults by collecting real-time data of the smartphone screen-state. The sample consisted of 306 college-aged students (mean age ± SD: 20.7 ± 1.4 years; 60% males). Over seven days of time, the following variables were measured in the participants: objectively-measured smartphone use (Your Hour and Screen Time applications), objective and subjective physical activity (GoogleFit and Apple Health applications, and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), respectively), the number of hours sitting (IPAQ), mood (The Profile of Mood State (POMS)), and sleep (The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)). Multiple regressions analyses showed that the number of hours sitting per day, physical activity, and the POMS Global Score significantly predicted smartphone use (adj.R2 = 0.15). Further, participants with low levels of physical activity were more likely to increase the use of smartphones (OR = 2.981). Moreover, mood state (ß = 0.185; 95% CI = 0.05, 0.32) and sleep quality (ß = 0.076; 95% CI = -0.06, 0.21) predicted smartphone use, with those reporting poor quality of sleep (PSQI index >5) being more likely to use the smartphone (OR = 2.679). In conclusion, there is an association between objectively-measured smartphone use and physical activity, sedentary behavior, mood, and sleep patterns. Those participants with low levels of physical activity, high levels of sedentary behavior, poor mood state, and poor sleep quality were more likely to spend more time using their smartphones.

Evaluation and Behavior of Spanish Bodybuilders: Doping and Sports Supplements.

The use of doping agents has these days become a public health problem, as it also affects young and non-competitive amateurs in different sports. To prepare for competition, bodybuilders perform aggressive dietary protocols, so, bodybuilders frequently consume nutritional supplements (NS) and banned substances in large dosages. Thus, the aim of this study is to analyze the prevalence of banned substances consumption and NS intake in competitive level bodybuilders. A total of 48 bodybuilders (44 males and 4 females) completed a validated online questionnaire on NS consumption. The quantitative data was presented as a mean (M) ± standard deviation (SD), as well as having minimum and maximum values. The categorical variables were expressed using frequencies and percentages. 83.3% of the participants declared that they had consumed or would consume banned substances, the most consumed being anabolic steroids (72.9%). One hundred percent of those sampled use NS. Whey protein (96%), branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) (94%), creatine (85%) and vitamin complexes (83%) were the most consumed, however, there is a low consumption of certain NS which could also increase athletic performance.

Effects of an Acute Exercise Bout on Serum Hepcidin Levels.

Iron deficiency is a frequent and multifactorial disorder in the career of athletes, particularly in females. Exercise-induced disturbances in iron homeostasis produce deleterious effects on performance and adaptation to training; thus, the identification of strategies that restore or maintain iron homeostasis in athletes is required. Hepcidin is a liver-derived hormone that degrades the ferroportin transport channel, thus reducing the ability of macrophages to recycle damaged iron, and decreasing iron availability. Although it has been suggested that the circulating fraction of hepcidin increases during early post-exercise recovery (~3 h), it remains unknown how an acute exercise bout may modify the circulating expression of hepcidin. Therefore, the current review aims to determine the post-exercise expression of serum hepcidin in response to a single session of exercise. The review was carried out in the Dialnet, Elsevier, Medline, Pubmed, Scielo and SPORTDiscus databases, using hepcidin (and "exercise" or "sport" or "physical activity") as a strategy of search. A total of 19 articles were included in the review after the application of the inclusion/exclusion criteria. This search found that a single session of endurance exercise (intervallic or continuous) at moderate or vigorous intensity (60-90% VO2peak) stimulates an increase in the circulating levels of hepcidin between 0 h and 6 h after the end of the exercise bout, peaking at ~3 h post-exercise. The magnitude of the response of hepcidin to exercise seems to be dependent on the pre-exercise status of iron (ferritin) and inflammation (IL-6). Moreover, oxygen disturbances and the activation of a hypoxia-induced factor during or after exercise may stimulate a reduction of hepcidin expression. Meanwhile, cranberry flavonoids supplementation promotes an anti-oxidant effect that may facilitate the post-exercise expression of hepcidin. Further studies are required to explore the effect of resistance exercise on hepcidin expression.