Collaborative Governance Model for Fitness-Health Integration in Smart Communities: Framework and Outcome Measurement

Compared to non-smart communities, smart communities expand the boundaries of community management and provide a platform for the deep integration of fitness and health. However, a single-entity governance model reduces the management efficiency of smart communities and hinders the realization of fitness-health integration within them. A collaborative governance model involving governments, businesses, social organizations, and residents replaces the traditional linear governance model that relies on a single entity through resource integration. This study, based on collaborative governance theory, employs three scenario-based experimental designs and quantitative analysis, with Xiamen’s smart city community and non-smart urban village community as research subjects. It explores the multistakeholder collaborative governance model for the deep integration of fitness and health, compares the differences in fitness-health integration between smart communities and non-smart communities, and measures the effectiveness differences between multistakeholder collaborative governance and single-entity governance models. The findings indicate: (1) Residents in smart communities have higher satisfaction with comprehensive fitness-health services; (2) Residents in smart communities perceive shorter psychological distances when engaging in fitness-health activities compared to non-smart environments; (3) The governance model moderates the impact of psychological distance on service satisfaction. Compared to the single-actor model, multiactor collaborative governance more effectively enhances perceived psychological proximity and improves satisfaction. The research findings contribute theoretically to advancing understanding of collaborative governance theory while expanding the application of the technology acceptance model (TAM) and the construal level theory in the context of community governance. Practically, they offer insights for public policymakers to optimize resource allocation and for community managers to strengthen digital governance.