THE CHOICE PREFERENCES OF SPORTS AND FITNESS SERVICE IN TAIWANESE OLDER ADULTS

Abstract

In the aged society of Taiwan, more and more elderly people are expected to actively participate in various physical activities to implement the goal of successful aging. In the design of sports and fitness service and center, sports facility operators should pay attention to the older adult–friendly environment design and import exercise equipment for older adults to increase the exercise motivations and reduce exercise risks. In order to respond the demand of older adults, we used the Choice Experiment model to establish a hypothesized experiment design in which data on the sports and fitness service and environment preferences of Taiwanese older adults were collected. The number of samples is 380. The empirical results show that most respondents are willing to pay extra for a variety of senior services to enjoy a better and safer sports and fitness experience. Gym manufacturers can plan alternative fitness services and products, which will be of greater help to encourage the elderly to engage in regular fitness exercises.