Comparison Of Fitness Trends Between The Acsm Worldwide Survey And The Spanish Survey Of Fitness Trends For 2024.

PURPOSE: Since its first edition in 2007, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has published a total of 18 Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends annually. Spain was the first country to replicate the ACSM survey methodology to detect regional singularities of the sector. The purpose of this study is to compare the differences and similarities between the results of the 2024 Worldwide and Spanish Surveys of Fitness Trends. METHODS: Both Worldwide and Spanish Surveys of Fitness Trends were designed and sent electronically through an online survey platform to a list of identified health and fitness professionals. The selection of potential trends for each survey edition was mostly based on previous ones. To assess the relevance of the trends, participants were asked to rate each trend using a Likert-type scale from 1 (lowest value, and therefore less likely to be a trend) to 10 (highest probability of being a trend). To classify the trends according to their relevance, the average of the scores obtained was calculated, ordering them from highest to lowest, with the first 20 of each edition presented in the published articles. RESULTS: The five most relevant Worldwide trends for the year 2024 were, in descending order: Wearable Technology, Worksite Health Promotion, Fitness Programs for Older Adults, Exercise for Weight Loss, and Reimbursement for Qualified Exercise Professionals; while in the Spanish Survey: Functional Fitness Training, Employing Certified Exercise Professionals, Small Group (Personal) Training, Personal Training, and Licensure for Exercise Professionals. There was a large discrepancy between the 2024 Spanish survey and the Worldwide survey, with just four coincident trends within the top 10, eight common trends in the top 20, as well as a clear disparity in relation to the positions occupied. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the Worldwide and Spanish Survey of Fitness Trends for 2024 confirm the existence of interregional differences. Although nearly half of the trends were coincident in both surveys, both present great divergences in terms of the positions occupied. Likewise, some trends are exclusive at the regional level. New regions should begin to replicate the ACSM fitness survey methodology to study the regional singularities of the sector.