scholarly journals Impact of a social media exercise service on individuals and employees

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-71
Author(s):  
Matti Santtila ◽  
Kalle Grönqvist ◽  
Jussi Räisänen ◽  
Heikki Kyröläinen

SummaryStudy aim: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the impact of a social media exercise platform (HeiaHeia, Helsinki, Finland) on the level of physical activity, physical fitness, wellbeing and body weight of the service users. Material and methods: The subject group consisted of 2862 individuals who voluntarily participated in a web survey. Their age, gender, body mass index, physical fitness level and activity information were self-reported. Results: Most of the service users (78.1%) exercised more than three times a week. About 75% of the users reported that they were in good or excellent physical fitness, while about 50% were overweight. More than half (64.6%) of the service users reported that they had perceived an increase in their level of physical activity; and 46.4% of them reported that they had perceived an advance in their physical fitness after using the social media service. In addition, 54.0% of the users perceived an increase in their wellbeing. Every fifth (21.3%) user reported a decreased body weight after using the service. Those users with lower levels of physical fitness, lower physical activity and who were overweight were more likely to report that the use of the present service was beneficial. In total, about 75% of the service users reported at least one benefit after using the service. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that the use of the social media exercise service can lead to an enhanced perceived level of physical activity, fitness and wellbeing. It also impacts positively on the users’ body weight. Thus, the present social media service can be recommended for use, especially for overweight, unfit and sedentary customers.

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matti Santtila ◽  
Kalle Grönqvist ◽  
Jussi Räisänen ◽  
Heikki Kyröläinen

Summary Study aim: the purpose of the present study was to survey the impact of a social media platform on physical fitness, physical activity levels and daily sitting time. Material and methods: a total of 2039 users (1445 women and 594 men) of the social media service (HeiaHeia, Helsinki, Finland) voluntarily participated in the study by answering an online questionnaire provided by a survey. Results: about 63.8% of the participants reported that the service has advanced their perceived level of physical fitness, while 36.2% reported no impact on their fitness. Most participants (71.3%) with BMI over 25 reported that the service had helped them to improve their physical fitness. Participants with BMI over 35 reported a more positive impact than in any other weight range groups. One-third of the participants (32.3%) sat for more than seven hours a day; 23.5% sat less than five hours a day. More than half of the participants (56.8%) were encouraged to be physical active during the day and aimed to reduce sitting time at their jobs during the workday. Conclusions: there seems to be a positive impact of web services that promote physical activity on the physical fitness among social media users. Although the present service is not merely well suited for physically active and physical fit users, it motivates users of all fitness levels to exercise. However, more studies are needed to clarify effects of social media on physical activity, fitness and health.


2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (10) ◽  
pp. 1690-1702 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah B. Hales ◽  
Breănna Grant ◽  
Daheia J. Barr-Anderson ◽  
Gabrielle M. Turner-McGrievy

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bramwell K. Gavaza ◽  
Kim L. Viljoen ◽  
Liezel Cilliers

Orientation: The impact and growth rates of Facebook and other forms of social media have made it imperative for all businesses to ensure they have social media strategies in place.Research purpose: The purpose of this study was to measure the influence of social media service quality on client loyalty in the South African banking industry.Motivation for the study: There are limited studies conducted in developing countries such as South Africa that focused specifically on the social media service quality and client loyalty in the banking industry.Research design, approach and method: The study used a quantitative approach and a descriptive research design to test the proposed hypotheses. An online survey on Facebook was used to collect the data from a sample of 377 respondents who had interacted with the five major banks in South Africa on the said platform. A snowball sampling technique was used to identify the appropriate respondents. The data was analysed with Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to assess the model fit.Main findings: Findings of the research study proved that the social media system’s availability, fulfilment and privacy have a significant influence on the overall service quality of social media, which leads to client loyalty in the South African banking industry.Practical/managerial implications: The study recommended that managers and marketers should constantly evaluate, monitor and improve the overall service quality of social media offered to their clients, as it leads to a corresponding increase in client loyalty in the South African banking industry.Contribution/value-add: The study provided empirical evidence, which contributed to the body of business and marketing knowledge in a South African banking context.


2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 236-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher J. Carpenter ◽  
Chandra S. Amaravadi

Assessing the impact of an individual’s social network on an individual is difficult without administering a large number of surveys. Online social networks with built-in data collection circumvent this problem. The data collected by an exercise-focused social media website and mobile app allowed the estimation of the effect of both the behavior of the social network and the size of that network on the behavior of individual service users (31,200 users reporting 67,699 exercise events with a potential range of 87 weeks). The results are consistent with the theory of normative social behavior in that the amount of exercise reported by the user’s social network as well as the size of the user’s on-site social network affected the user’s exercise behavior over time.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Tuncay Şur ◽  
Betül Yarar

This paper seeks to understand why there has been an increase in photographic images exposing military violence or displaying bodies killed by military forces and how they can freely circulate in the public without being censored or kept hidden. In other words, it aims to analyze this particular issue as a symptom of the emergence of new wars and a new regime of their visual representation. Within this framework, it attempts to relate two kinds of literature that are namely the history of war and war photography with the bridge of theoretical discussions on the real, its photographic representation, power, and violence.  Rather than systematic empirical analysis, the paper is based on a theoretical attempt which is reflected on some socio-political observations in the Middle East where there has been ongoing wars or new wars. The core discussion of the paper is supported by a brief analysis of some illustrative photographic images that are served through the social media under the circumstances of war for instance in Turkey between Turkish military troops and the Kurdish militants. The paper concludes that in line with the process of dissolution/transformation of the old nation-state formations and globalization, the mechanism and mode of power have also transformed to the extent that it resulted in the emergence of new wars. This is one dynamic that we need to recognize in relation to the above-mentioned question, the other is the impact of social media in not only delivering but also receiving war photographies. Today these changes have led the emergence of new machinery of power in which the old modern visual/photographic techniques of representing wars without human beings, torture, and violence through censorship began to be employed alongside medieval power techniques of a visual exhibition of tortures and violence.


Author(s):  
Hubert Dobrowolski ◽  
Dariusz Włodarek

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic caused a number of changes in social life around the world. In response to the growing number of infections, some countries have introduced restrictions that may have resulted in the change of the lifestyle. The aim of our study was to investigate the impact of the lockdown on body weight, physical activity and some eating habits of the society. The survey involving 183 people was conducted using a proprietary questionnaire. The mean age of the study participants was 33 ± 11 and mean height 169 ± 8 cm. An average increase in body weight was observed in 49.18% by 0.63 ± 3.7 kg which was the result of a decrease in physical activity and an increase in food consumption. We also observed a decrease in PAL from 1.64 ± 0.15 to 1.58 ± 0.13 and changes in the amount of food and individual groups of products consumption, including alcohol. Among the study participants who did not lose body mass, there was an average weight gain of 2.25 ± 2.5 kg. In conclusion, an increase of weight was shown in about half of the respondents in the study group which was associated with a decrease in physical activity and an increase in the consumption of total food and high energy density products.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Manar Abduljalil Bakhsh ◽  
Jomana Khawandanah ◽  
Rouba Khalil Naaman ◽  
Shoug Alashmali

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic has forced governments around the world to impose strict hygiene and national lockdown measures, which in turn has changed the dietary and lifestyle habits of the world’s population. Thus, the aim of this study is to evaluate whether dietary and physical activity behaviors of Saudi Arabia’s adult population changed during the COVID-19 quarantine. Methods An electronic questionnaire which assessed changes in body weight, dietary habits, and physical activity of Saudi Arabia’s adult population (n = 2255) during the COVID-19 quarantine was distributed on social media between June and July 2020. To test the differences between changes in dietary and physical activity behaviors in relation to changes in body weight a Chi-square test was used. Results Over 40 and 45% of participants reported eating and snacking more, respectively, which led to weight gain in around 28%. Most participants reported that they consumed home-cooked (73%) and healthy meals (47%), while only 7% reported that they consumed foods from restaurants. Feelings of boredom and emptiness (44%) and the availability of time for preparing meals (40%) were the main reasons for changing dietary habits. Honey (43%) and vitamin C (50%) were the most consumed immune-boosting food and dietary supplement, respectively. COVID-19 also had a negative impact on physical activity, lowering the practice in 52% subjects, which was associated with significant weight gain (p < 0.001). Conclusion Assessing the changes to the population’s dietary habits and physical activity during the lockdown will help predict the outcome of the population’s future health and wellbeing after the pandemic.


2021 ◽  
pp. bmjmilitary-2020-001761
Author(s):  
Che-Fu Chang ◽  
Y-C Wu ◽  
C-H Lai ◽  
P-C Chen ◽  
Y-L Guo

IntroductionMetabolic syndrome (MS) is strongly associated with cardiovascular diseases and diabetes but can be prevented with regular physical activity. This study aimed to assess the impact of a physical fitness training programme on MS among military personnel.MethodsThis retrospective observational study included volunteer army soldiers who underwent annual health examinations between 2011 and 2014. In 2011, the reformed physical fitness training programme and physical fitness test were introduced to the participants. MS evaluation and physical fitness performances were evaluated before and after implementing the training programme using a mixed-effects model and generalised estimating equation, adjusted for sex, age and smoking.ResultsFrom 2011 to 2014, 1720 soldiers underwent the annual health examination. In 2011, before the fitness programme, 246 soldiers (14.3%) had MS. After implementation, decreases in blood pressure and fasting glucose levels were observed and maintained for 3 years. Running performance was negatively correlated to triglycerides (ß=−11.37; p<0.001) and waist circumference (ß=−0.42; p<0.001) and positively correlated to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (ß=2.14; p<0.001). The severity of MS was reduced following introduction of the physical fitness programme.ConclusionsMS and its components improved after introducing the reformed fitness programme, with running performance proving to be most relevant to MS. Clinicians should encourage increased physical activity to prevent MS among military personnel.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mazzini Muda ◽  
Muhammad Iskandar Hamzah

PurposeIn spite of the increasing organic and interactive marketing activities over social media, a general understanding of the source credibility of voluntary user-generated content (UGC) is still limited. In line with the social identity theory, this paper examines the effects of consumers' perceived source credibility of UGC in YouTube videos on their attitudes and behavioral intentions. Additionally, source homophily theory is included to predict the antecedent of source credibility.Design/methodology/approachThree hundred and seventy two Generation Y respondents were interviewed using snowball sampling. Data were analyzed with component-based structural equation modeling technique of partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).FindingsFindings confirmed that perceived source credibility indirectly affects purchase intention (PI) and electronic word-of-mouth via attitude toward UGC. Besides, perceived source credibility mediates the effect of perceived source homophily on attitude toward UGC.Practical implicationsSince today's consumers have begun to trust and rely more on UGC than company-generated content on social media when making purchase decisions, companies may reconsider democratizing certain aspects of their branding strategies. Firms may fine-tune their marketing communication budgets – not only just by sponsoring public figures and celebrities but also by nurturing coproductive engagements with independent content creators who are ordinary consumers. Endowed with their imposing credibility, these micro-influencers and prosumers have high potentials to be uplifted to brand ambassadors.Originality/valueWhile consumers' purchase outcome can be measured easily using metrics and analytics, the roles of source homophily in stages leading up to the purchase is still elusive. Drawing on the rich theoretical basis of source homophily may help researchers to understand not only how credibility and attitude are related to PI but also how this nexus generates positive word of mouth among UGC followers within the social media circles.


2018 ◽  
pp. 14
Author(s):  
Nurlienda Hasanah ◽  
Hafidhotun Nabawiyah

The phenomenon of social media interactions can influence awareness behavior into multiple layers of firm-initiated, communitiated actions and provides a theoretical understanding of what firms and community accomplish using social media.The aim of this study isto explore community response of “promkes.net” as a program about “melawan mager” (sedentary lifestyle challenge) by social media campaign using hashtag #7hariMelawanMager. This study was a literature review, using supported document and mini-survey about the challenge at social media campaign using Instagram story survey and Facebook polling in 1 days and also challenge’s founder interview.As the result in three weeks after the launching challenge, there were 41 posting in Instagram with 9 people completed the #7harimelawanmager challenge and 33 posting in  FB with 13 people completed the challenge via FB. The social media challenge raising physical activity awareness from the society, yet there were 17 people who fulfill the promkes_net Instagram story survey and 5 of 15 people did not know about the campaign via FB’s author polling.At the end of review, there are 98 people and still counting who join the challenges. Online community based were built on Facebook for sharing & motivating each other, starting from social media challenges. Health campaign by social media using hashtag #7harimelawanmager potentially raising physical activity awareness but this campaign should be sustainable and have any improvement in several periods. Furthermore, society can become more aware what happen and participate in this issue.


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