Factors Affecting Satisfaction and Loyalty of Health and Fitness Club Customers

Competition between companies increases rapidly and continuously, so it is important to always evolve. The purpose of this study was: (1) to test the impact of word of mouth, price, and service quality on the satisfaction and loyalty of customers of health and fitness clubs in Klaten and Yogyakarta; (2) to provide a sports management guide to these companies; and (3) to evaluate the third-party complaints in the context of these clubs. A descriptive survey method was used with a quantitative approach. The research sample consisted of 200 subjects from 10 Klaten and Yogyakarta health and fitness clubs recruited by random sampling. Data were collected through a questionnaire. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling to test the similarity and relationships between all variables. The results showed that loyalty and satisfaction were significantly influenced by word-of-mouth, and service quality had a positive effect. Price had a significant effect on customer satisfaction and loyalty as well. A company’s customer satisfaction and loyalty are very important for increasing profits, so it is crucial for companies to always maintain good relations with their customers. Keywords: health and fitness club, service quality, word-of-mouth, satisfaction, loyalty

Social media use and physical activity participation in college students: An exploratory analysis

Social media has become a part of a college student’s environment, highlighting the importance of investigating the role that social media may play in PA participation and other health behaviors. Purpose: To describe social media use and physical activity (PA) participation in a sample of college students and explore relationships between social media and PA, including health and fitness social media. Methods: College students (age 18-29 years) enrolled at a four-year university completed an online questionnaire regarding self-reported social media use and PA participation. Independent sample t-tests were used to compare PA outcomes between those that follow health and fitness accounts and those who do not. A multiple linear regression model was used to examine associations between social media use and PA. Results: Two hundred and ninety-two students completed the questionnaire (63.72% female, 63.61% white, BMI 24.14±4.25 kg/m2). There was no difference in PA participation between those that do and do not follow health and fitness social media in moderate (p=0.17) or vigorous intensity PA (p=1.0) when controlling for confounding variables. Spending 1-2 hours/day (p=0.02) or 3-4 hours/day (p=0.01) on social media compared to <1 hour/day and accessing social media in the evening (p=0.04) are associated with lower moderate PA. Conclusions: Following health and fitness social media may not have the intended impact on college student PA. Further research needs to be done to assess the most effective and impactful strategies for content delivery via social media to increase PA behavior.

A cross sectional survey on physical fitness, mental health and associated factors in mothers of children with special needs

Mothers are the primary caregivers of a child. While caring for a special needs child, workload of caring increases by manifold and taking care of these children increases physical & mental overload. There is a dearth of studies that have objectively evaluated mental health and fitness of this group. To study status of physical fitness, mental health and associated factors in mothers of special needs children a cross-sectional survey done on 100 mothers of special needs children from special schools in the Gurugram District, Haryana, India. The Harvard Step test was used to evaluate cardiac fitness. Standard tests were used to evaluate different components of musculoskeletal fitness. Depression was assessed by Beck Depression Inventory. Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis. The Karl Pearson correlation test was used to identify correlations between mental health and fitness components and sociodemographic characteristics. Mean age and body mass index of mothers was 36.15±2.56 years and 27.4±3.25 kg/m2, respectively. 50% of the subjects were overweight, 89% scored poor in cardiopulmonary fitness, 63% had very poor muscle endurance, and 69% had average muscular flexibility. 81% of the mothers had symptoms of clinical depression. Inverse and significant correlation was present between depression and cardiorespiratory fitness (r=-0.197), strength (r=-0.242), and endurance (r=0.209). Income, total number of children and duration of care giving were inversely correlated with depression. Positive correlation was found between type of disability and depression. There was an overall decrement in cardiorespiratory and musculoskeletal fitness. Mental health was found to be poor with a large percentage of participants showing symptoms of depression.

Early-life immune expression profiles predict later life health and fitness in a wild rodent

Individuals differ in the nature of the immune responses they produce, affecting disease susceptibility and ultimately health and fitness. These differences have been hypothesised to have an origin in events experienced early in life that then affect trajectories of immune development and responsiveness. Here we investigate early life influences on immune expression profiles using a natural population of field voles, Microtus agrestis, in which we are able to monitor variation between and within individuals though time by repeat (longitudinal) sampling of individually marked animals. We analysed the co-expression of 20 immune genes in early life to create a correlational network consisting of three main clusters, one of which (containing Gata3, Il10 and Il17) was associated with later life reproductive success and susceptibility to chronic bacterial (Bartonella) infection. More detailed analyses supported associations between early life expression of Il17 and reproductive success later in life, and of increased Il10 expression early in life and later infection with Bartonella. We also found significant association between an Il17 genotype and the early life expression of Il10. Our results demonstrate that immune expression profiles can be manifested during early life with effects that persist through adulthood and that shape the variability among individuals in susceptibility to infection and fitness widely seen in natural populations.

A gut commensal niche regulates stable association of a multispecies microbiota

The intestines of animals are typically colonized by a complex, relatively stable microbiota that influences health and fitness, but the underlying mechanisms of colonization remain poorly understood. As a typical animal, the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, is associated with a consistent set of commensal bacterial species, yet the reason for this consistency is unknown. Here, we use gnotobiotic flies, microscopy, and microbial pulse-chase protocols to show that a commensal niche exists within the proventriculus region of the Drosophila foregut that selectively binds bacteria with exquisite strain-level specificity. Primary colonizers saturate the niche and exclude secondary colonizers of the same strain, but initial colonization by Lactobacillus physically remodels the niche to favor secondary colonization by Acetobacter. Our results provide a mechanistic framework for understanding the establishment and stability of an intestinal microbiome.One-Sentence SummaryA strain-specific set of bacteria inhabits a defined spatial region of the Drosophila gut that forms a commensal niche.