Understanding exercise adherence and dropout: an interpretative phenomenological analysis of men and women’s accounts of gym attendance and non-attendance

Abstract

This study was designed to investigate experiences of maintaining and dropping out of a gym-based exercise programme. Interviews were carried out with 14 people, aged 19–32 years, comprising seven men and two women who had maintained their gym membership and three women and two men who had not. Member validation interviews were conducted 20 months later with one man who was previously maintaining but had since dropped out, and one woman originally not maintaining who had at the time of validation been maintaining for three months. Data were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis, highlighting five themes. Upward social comparisons, gym culture and exercise habit were discussed by both adherers and non-adherers. The different ways the participants experienced these themes led to different outcomes in exercise status. Adherers discussed exercise dependency in relation to the meaning of the gym and their long-term commitment. Loss of social support contributed to dropout. The role of gender was highlighted with particular relevance to social comparison, culture and social support. Participants described a masculine gym culture, which produced contrasting effects on adherence. Upward social comparisons and lack of social support impacted negatively on adherence in females with poor body satisfaction. This is the first study to investigate qualitatively exercise adherence in males and females who have both adhered to and dropped out of an exercise programme. It identifies themes that have previously received little or no attention in the adherence field and results have implications for our understanding of factors influencing adherence to gym-based exercise programmes in men and women.

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