Revisit Intention of Participants of National Fitness Award applying Extended Theory of Planned Behavior

Abstract

The average life expectancy of Koreans is increasing due to the development of medical science, improvements in life quality, and a general interest in health (KOSIS, 2018). However, although life expectancy has increased, the concept of health-adjusted life expectation (HALE) should also be considered. This is an indicator that estimates the average years a person can expect to live healthily. Some researchers think that HALE represents the best measurement for estimating the overall level of health for citizens. Consequently, the WHO (World Health Organization) use the concept as an official judgement criterion for yearly reports to provide information about the average level of healthy life for membership states (Lee et al., 2016). To live healthily and maintain quality of life, it is essential for people to manage physical fitness and participate in exercise. The effects of exercise have been proven by many research studies and the effects of exercise are apparent at all ages. The Korean government and the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism started the National Fitness Award (NFA; so-called Public Health 100 in Korea) program to promote sports and extend HALE by providing scientific measurement, exercise prescription, and eight weeks of exercise classes. After measurement, the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation (KSPO) give awards depending on the results. As well as Korea, other developed countries have designed sport programs based on life cycle and ages (Kim, 2014). The KSPO has operated the program since 2011, when an initial pilot program began with 4 centers and approximately 4,500 participants. Up to 2018, the KSPO and local government expanded the number of branches from 4 to 43, and the number of participants has increased to 267,729. The KSPO aims to add 8 more centers and increase the number of participants to approximately 300,000 (KSPO, 2019). However, according to the KSPO, only 0.56% of the population participated this program and one third of people who took part revisited the measurement. The NFA needs to expand further to promote healthy living and provide motivation to encourage participation in sport. The Korean government already spends a significant proportion of the budget (more than 10.7 billion won) on this program, which represents sports-related policy and the KSPO. This study was designed to identify factors that affect peoples intention to visit the scheme by applying the theory of planned behavior (TPB). This is one of the most well-known theories related to human behavior, and is used to predict exercise behavior, as well as for persuasive communication research, to structuralize attitudes, subjective norms, perceived control, intention, and behavior (Cho, 2012; Kim, Lee & Kim, 2003). However, some researchers indicate that the three components of TPB lack descriptive power for predicting human behavior (Armitage & Conner, 2001; Rivis & Sheeran, 2003). The need for new explanatory variables to mitigate the limitations of TPB led to the advanced and extended theory of planned behavior to include additional variables (Hagger et al., 2002; Kim, 2017). In this study, the concepts of spatial and temporal distance - aspects of the construal level theory (CLT) that affect intention and attitudes - are used as additional variables to extend TPB so that decision making in relation to revisiting the NFA scheme can be examined.

본 연구의 목적은 확장된 계획행동이론(Extended Theory of Planned Behavior)을 활용하여 국민체력100(National Fitness Award) 참여자들의 재참여 의도를 살펴보는데 있다. 계획된 행동이론(Theory of Planned Behavior)의 태도, 사회적규범, 인지된 행동통제와 해석수준이론(Construal Level Theory)의 시간적, 공간적 거리가 재참여에 대한 태도 및 의도에 미치는 영향을 규명하였다. 해석수준이론의 시간적 거리는 미래의 상황이 현재로부터 시간적으로 얼마나 떨어져 있는지에 대한 주관적 인식이고, 공간적 거리는 미래의 상황이 나로부터 공간적으로 얼마나 멀리 떨어져 있는지에 대한 주관적 인식이다. 올림픽공원에 위치한 국민체력센터를 방문하는 방문객을 대상으로 설문을 실시하였으며, 수집된 총 226부의 설문지를 SPSS 22와 AMOS 22를 통해 확인적 요인분석 및 구조방정식 모형을 통해 분석을 실시하였다. 연구결과 계획된 행동이론의 구성요소 중 태도, 인지된 행동통제는 재참여 의도에 정(+)의 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 하지만 사회적 규범은 재방문 의도에 영향을 미치지 않는 것으로 나타났다. 시간적 거리의 경우, 재참여에 대한 태도와 의도에 정(+)의 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 즉 시간적으로 재측정까지 많이 남아있다고 느낄수록 가치 중심적인 상위해석수준이 작용하여 재참여에 대한 태도와 방문의도가 증가한다. 한편, 공간적 거리의 경우 재참여에 대한 태도 및 의도와 부적(-) 상관관계가 있는 것으로 나타났다. 참여자들이 국민체력센터가 가깝다고 느낄수록 구체성과 실행가능성 중심의 하위해석수준이 작용하여 재참여에 대한 태도와 의도가 증가하는 것이다. 이처럼 참여자가 지각하는 심리적 거리감에 따라 각기 다른 해석수준이 작용하게 되고, 해석수준을 토대로 커뮤니케이션 메세지를 전달하면 설득력을 높일 수 있다. 따라서 본 연구결과는 국민체력100 참가자들의 재참여 의사결정을 유도하고 프로그램 활성화를 위한 마케팅 전략을 수립하는데 도움을 줄 것으로 기대한다.