Football Fandom as a Platform for Digital Health Promotion and Behaviour Change: A Mobile App Case Study

Alex Fenton; Anna Mary Cooper-Ryan; Mariann Maz Hardey; Wasim Ahmed

doi:10.3390/ijerph19148417

Football Fandom as a Platform for Digital Health Promotion and Behaviour Change: A Mobile App Case Study

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jul 9;19(14):8417. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19148417.

Authors

Alex Fenton¹, Anna Mary Cooper-Ryan², Mariann Maz Hardey³, Wasim Ahmed⁴

Affiliations

¹ Business School, University of Chester, Chester CH1 4BJ, UK.
² School of Health and Society, University of Salford, Salford M5 4WT, UK.
³ Business School, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LB, UK.
⁴ Stirling Management School, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UK.

Abstract

Background: The last decade has seen a dramatic shift toward the study of fitness surveillance, thanks in part to the emergence of mobile health (mHealth) apps that allow users to track their health through a variety of data-driven insights. This study examines the adoption trends and community mediation of the mobile fitness application 'FanFit', a platform aimed at promoting physical activity among sports fans by creating a fitness app branded to their favourite team for health promotion. Objective: Our study looked at the impact of a specially designed mobile app (FanFit) as a digital health intervention for initiating and maintaining physical activity as part of football club membership. Our analysis indicates that app users will adopt healthier behaviours as a result of the app's sense of fan community and behaviour change. Methods: The findings reported here are based on an implementation of the FanFit app and, in particular, on those who participated in a more in-depth study (n = 30). These participants were Rangers FC supporters with a mix of genders (n = 19 males and n = 11 females). Focus groups and interviews were conducted with participants to ascertain users' perspectives on the most effective methods for nudging users toward adopting and maintaining a pattern of fitness behaviours. Results: The findings show that the user community was interested in fitness and wanted to live a 'healthy lifestyle,' which was augmented and fuelled by the app's competitive architecture design. Furthermore, the data reveal a new fan-health discourse about a person's developing wants, talents, and identities as embodied beings. Conclusions: We have developed and presented valid links between the use of sports club apps and health programmes. The app could be useful for sports programmes and club providers looking for mHealth applications that provide community support through fan discourse with opportunities for both male and female fans.

Keywords: digital; fandom; football; gamification; health; mHealth; mobile apps; promotion.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Female
Football*
Health Promotion
Healthy Lifestyle
Humans
Male
Mobile Applications*
Telemedicine*

Grants and funding

The project was funded by the Nesta ‘Healthier Lives Data Fund’ and the University of Stirling’s APC fund.