ArticlePublisher preview available

Management Aspects of Fitness Program Development

SAGE Publications Inc
American Journal of Health Promotion
Authors:
George J. Pfeiffer
George J. Pfeiffer
George J. Pfeiffer
  • This person is not on ResearchGate, or hasn't claimed this research yet.
Read publisher preview
Download citation
To read the full-text of this research, you can request a copy directly from the author.

Abstract

Publishers note: Many of the statements in this article that relate to participation rates, staffing requirements, equipment and facility specifications and effectiveness of operating protocols are based on the empirical experience of the author and a telephone survey of fitness directors and cannot be supported by references. This reflects the level of sophistication of the field of fitness program management.
A preview of this full-text is provided by SAGE Publications Inc.
Learn more
Content available from American Journal of Health Promotion 
This content is subject to copyright.
Fitness Management Aspects of
Fitness Program
Development
George J. Pfeiffer, M.S.
George J. Pfeiffer, M.S., is Vice
President of the Center for Corporate
Health Promotion in Reston, Virginia.
Publisher’s note: Many of the statements 4)
in this article that relate to participation
rates, staffing requirements, equipment and
facility specifications and effectiveness of
operating protocols are based on the 5)
empirical experience of the author and a
telephone survey of fitness directors and
cannot be supported by references. This
reflects the level of sophistication of the
field of fitness program management. 6)
Introduction
A fitness program has a greater
chance of success if it is developed
using established planning techniques
in an organized process. This article
discusses the elements of an effective
process that can be used in
developing programs for worksites,
schools, communities and
commercial clubs. These elements
are listed below.
I) Needs Assessment: Use of market
research techniques to evaluate
the needs and interests of a target
audience.
2) Establishing Objectives:
Development of long and short-
term objectives that have been
identified through prior needs
assessment.
3) Program Development:
Development of product/services
that address market needs and
meet program objectives.
Program Positioning and
Promotion: Packaging and
promoting programs.
Staffing: Personnel to develop,
implement and produce programs.
Developing advisory or
management committees.
Facility Program and Design:
Space requirements for office,
classes and exercise.
7) Types of Programs: Specific form
of programs offered.
Each of these is discussed in detail.
Conducting a Needs Assessment
Programs will be most successful if
they base program decisions on
preliminary research that identifies
the needs and interests of specific
target groups, such as employees,
post-coronary patients, and senior
adults. The research should also
provide the information necessary to
position products, such as self-help
fitness programs, fitness facilities,
aerobic dance programs etc., for
maximum recognition and eventual
participation or purchase.
Market research attempts to define
the specific needs and interests of the
10 American Journal of Health Promotion
... Employee committees consist of 10 to 15 interested key employees who assist in all phases of the program, from planning through evaluation. Committee members serve as a sounding board for ideas prior to their implementation, help to market the program to other employees, and provide feedback on program operation (Pfeiffer, 1986). ...
... Occupational health nurses who have not had frequent interactions with management will benefit from Brown's (1988) managerial strategies for exerting influence in a business environment. Pfeiffer (1986) suggests the following to establish a strong management support system: go to the top by recruiting the support of the top administrator; orient line managers and involve them in program promotion; maintain ongoing communication with managers on the progress and results of the program; and get key decision-makers to participate in special events. ...
... Enlisting support from key personnel will often serve to neu- Depending on the scope and magnitude of the program, a health risk appraisal could be included in the needs assessment. The sophistication of needs assessments varies from simple questionnaires or one-on-one interviews to larger-scale market research contracted through private firms (Pfeiffer, 1986). Whichever method is selected, the information is analyzed and assigned priority, and program goals and objectives are defined. ...
Health Promotion at the Workplace
Article
  • Nov 1989
Health promotion encompasses those activities undertaken to improve the quality of one's life, thereby moving the individual forward toward a state of wellness or optimal health. Occupational health nurses are in a prime position to impart knowledge and change attitudes and behaviors and thus are uniquely qualified to plan, develop, implement, and evaluate workplace health promotion programs. Employee health promotion programs are based on the theory that it costs less to educate workers about controllable lifestyle health risks than to pay for the cost of ill health. Comprehensive workplace health promotion programs should be targeted at three levels: awareness, lifestyle/behavior change, and supportive environments, if long-term success is to be achieved. Occupational health nurses may use the Model for Workplace Health Promotion to assist them in planning, developing, implementing, and evaluating programs that provide health and cost benefits for both employees and employers.
View
... In fact, when 1,358 businesses were surveyed, of those who offered at least one health promotion activity, 73% did not have written goals or objectives for their program, and only 25% had formally evaluated their program. This is a significant finding given the detailed information available that stresses the importance of identifying program goals, conducting a needs assessment, and planning and evaluating the program (Employee Health Promotion, 1983;Iverson, Fielding, Crow, & Christenson, 1985;O'Donnell, 1986aO'Donnell, , 1986bO'Donnell & Ainsworth, 1984;Parkinson, 1982;Pfeiffer, 1986;Tampson, 1988). To alleviate this problem, an industrial/organizational psychologist can be used to determine the organization's needs and to provide a plan that will make the fitness and wellness program a visible and important part of the company. ...
Employee Fitness and Wellness Programs in the Workplace
Article
Full-text available
  • Feb 1990
Worksite fitness and health promotion programs have grown exponentially in the past 15 years. To examine the impact of these programs, the literature through 1988 was reviewed. In general, fitness and wellness programs result in increased levels of fitness and a reduction in the risk factors for coronary heart disease. Recent research using control groups has found relations between reduction in health care costs, absenteeism, and turnover and implementation of comprehensive health promotion programs. Issues related to participation rates, program implementation, and evaluation are also addressed.
View
View
Motivation: The Key to Fitness Compliance
Article
  • Jul 1985
In brief: The reasons people say they exercise are to feel better, to have a beautiful body, to socialize, and to be more healthy. People see a lack of free time as the main obstacle to physical activity. However, data from three surveys show that the need is not for more time but for using time that is already available. The author concludes that participants need a carefully tailored system of incentives and rewards to sustain the exercise habit until the intrinsic rewards of fitness become obvious.
View
View
Noncompliance in an exercise rehabilitation program for men who have suffered a myocardial infarction
Article
  • Mar 1978
  • Can Med Assoc J
A group of 163 men in the Hamilton, Ont. region who had suffered a myocardial infarction were enrolled in a rehabilitation program of physical activity. These men constituted one cohort of a multicentre collaborative study designed to determine the effects of regular exercise of differing intensity on morbidity and mortality over a 4-year period.The noncompliance rate was 43% for the men who could have participated for 1 year, 46% of whom were classified as noncompliers within 1 month of entry into the program. There was no difference in overall compliance between the men exercising at high intensity and those exercising at low intensity; lack of motivation or interest was the most common reason for their leaving the program. Those leaving the program early tended to have a type A behaviour pattern (they were aggressive, ambitious and competitive, with a chronic sense of time urgency), were inactive during their leisure time, had had at least two previous infarctions and smoked. These characteristics suggest that the men leaving the program early may have been those at greatest risk for a further myocardial infarction.
View
Physical Fitness and Employee Effectiveness
  • Jan 1984
  • 101-114
  • J. Hoffman
  • C. Hobson