Worldwide Workout: Global Perspectives On Fitness Goals and Tech Trends

TL;DR

Despite cultural and socio-economic differences, fitness goals and motivations are strikingly consistent across the US, Brazil, and India, with general health, well-being, and weight loss being the top priorities. Physical and mental health, longevity, appearance, and social influence universally drive these goals.

Key takeaways: Consistency is crucial, but time constraints, lack of motivation, and health issues are the main barriers. Fitness apps and wearable tech are popular for tracking and motivation, though concerns about accuracy and battery life persist. Financial barriers are more common in the US and Brazil, while environmental factors like weather and space are bigger challenges in India. Social support plays a vital role in maintaining motivation and satisfaction with fitness routines.

Below, we outline some key findings and insights from the research. For a detailed overview of the methodology and complete findings, download the full report at the end of this page!

Background

There are few studies delving into the interplay of fitness and wearable tech and they have been done on a smaller scale, the "Global Fitness Goals & Routines" project aims to uncover key fitness goals, motivations, and routines among participants in several countries around the world. The study assesses current perceptions of the importance of fitness, captures common fitness goals & motivations, explores behaviors linked to higher satisfaction, evaluates the effectiveness of fitness apps and wearable technologies, and examines challenges and barriers to maintaining physical fitness.

Cross cultural understanding of consumer fitness goals & wearable tech use is limited. Almost one in three Americans used a wearable device in 2020 according to this study. Wearable tech was the #1 trend for 2024, and a top trend since 2016 according to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). However, the ACSM's Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends measures trends by surveying fitness professionals, not consumers. While this paper from 2020 claims to be one of the first cross-cultural studies of fitness wearables.

The United States, Brazil, and India exhibit demographic and socio-economic differences. India has the second-largest population globally with a very young population with a median age of 28, and only 7% of the population is over 65. The Brazilian population has a median age of 33, and a demographic profile that skews younger than the US. The US is older with a median age of 38, with 18% of the population is over 65.1 Brazil has 21.3% poverty rate2, compared to India’s 4.5-5% rate and the US, while wealthier on average has poverty rates of 11.5%. Life expectancy is also somewhat different between the countries with India’s at 69.2 years, Brazil at 75.5 years, and the US at 78.5 years. The US’s Human Development Index score is .927, while Brazil's is .760, and India’s is .644. Brazil’s Multidimensional Poverty Index indicates that health measures contribute to roughly 50% of measures of poverty compared to 32.2% of India’s MPI score. Do these differences extend to or impact the role or importance of fitness in these countries?

Here's what we did

Recruiting

• 150 participants evenly recruited from the general population in US, Brazil, & India using Outset Recruit

  
  

Method

• Participants took Outset AI interviews with Voice Response (where AI offers a question in text and participants respond with a voice response, which is then transcribed).

• Outset’s AI dynamically probes deeper with follow up questions to participant answers depending on the thoroughness of the question either 0, 1, or 2 times per answer.

• Outset also served a handful of multiple choice questions as well

  
  

Role of synthetic users

• The English interview protocol was tested and run with AI synthetic users to test the AI moderator and build trust in its ability to execute the interview script, probe when appropriate, and gather the intended content. When conducting the interviews, the AI moderator has no knowledge that if a respondent is a synthetic user, therefore the way it responds is the same as it would to a human respondent. Transcripts of the interviews were reviewed in detail to identify areas for improvement in the discussion guide and/or AI moderator instructions.

• Using synthetic users to generate “dummy data” allowed for testing of Outset.ai’s reporting tool prior to fielding the study. This meant the reporting plan, including major topics for exploration & reporting, could be piloted and the results used to identify any gaps in the discussion guide prior to fielding the study with live participants.

  
  

Interview translation

• Identify interview guides were launched in 3 countries:

  • US in English

  • BR in Brazilian Portuguese

  • IN in English & Hindi

  Outset.ai utilizes AI’s ability to semantically capture the interview guide questions from the English discussion guide, then conducts the interview in native language.

  
  

Here's what we found

Despite demographic, socio-economic, and cultural differences, the US, Brazil, and Indian respondents have a lot in common when it comes to fitness perspectives. Fitness goals, motivations, types of exercise are quite consistent in the countries included in this study.

What are the most common fitness goals?

Across the US, BR, and IN general health and well-being, followed by weight loss are the top two fitness goals in all three countries.

What are the most common motivations for physical fitness?

Across all three countries, physical & mental health, longevity, appearance, and influence of friends & family motivate people to stay fit.

• "I want to have a more beautiful, slimmer body and also better health.” - US

• "Longer term, I'm… making sure that as I get older I have healthy bones and a healthy body so I want to continue to get stronger.” - BR

• "In the past, the need was aesthetic, to maintain a slim and healthy body. Today it's a physical goal, to maintain a condition that allows me to work and live without physical pain.”- BR

• "My main fitness goal right now is to have a good physique. I finalize my fitness goals by looking at my peers and taking advice from my coach” - IN

• "The desire is to be energetic, to be energetic and to be mentally fit. How it helps me is that I just want to be a little bit free of any tensions or any depressions. I don't want that. I want to just be free to be active and to feel fresh” - IN

What are the most common barriers to physical fitness?

Across all three countries the primary barriers are:

• Time constraints

• Limited motivation

• Health issues

• US and Brazil respondents mentioned more financial barriers, which makes sense given the relatively higher poverty rates in these countries

• Indian respondents mentioned more environmental barriers like the weather and limited space, which is reasonable in a country with a monsoon season, extreme heat events, and a population density of 473 people per sq. km (Brazil is 26, and the US is 36)

What is the role of fitness apps & wearable technology?

Fitness apps and wearable technology play a significant role in tracking and motivating fitness activities. Many participants appreciate the motivational aspects provided by these devices, such as reminders, notifications, and progress tracking. Wearable devices are most common in the US and India (Apple watches only appeared in the US), while fitness apps are prevalent in all three countries.

• Participants find apps like MyFitnessPal, Nike Training app, and Google Fit effective for tracking nutrition, exercise, and progress. These apps are appreciated for their free workout options, calorie counting, and diet management features.

• Wearable devices, such as smartwatches and fitness bands, are valued for monitoring metrics like heart rate, steps, and running distances. The integration of these tools with other platforms enhances comprehensive tracking and data synchronization, providing users with a holistic view of their fitness journey.

Despite the benefits, participants have raised concerns about the accuracy of certain metrics, such as calories burned and heart rate, and the battery life of wearable devices. Participants desire more accurate tracking of various health metrics and improved battery performance for longer activities like hiking. Additionally, participants highlighted the need for user-friendly interfaces, better integration with other apps, and features like real-time health monitoring, continuous measurement of vital metrics, and improved aesthetics.

Wrap-up

The "Global Fitness Goals & Routines" study reveals that, despite diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds, individuals from the US, Brazil, and India share similar fitness goals and motivations. Prioritizing general health, well-being, and weight loss, they are driven by a universal desire for better physical and mental health, longevity, appearance, and social influence. However, time constraints, lack of motivation, and health issues often hinder progress, with financial and environmental factors adding unique regional challenges. Fitness apps and wearable technology are crucial tools for tracking progress and staying motivated, though concerns about accuracy and battery life persist.

These findings hint at opportunities for improving wearable tech, perhaps with better accuracy or longer battery life, and for creating localized fitness solutions that address specific regional needs. Additionally, the role of social support in fitness could inspire new platforms that integrate social and fitness tracking features. For a deeper dive into the methodology and comprehensive findings, download the full report at the end of this page!