How to Encourage Continuous Use of Fitness Apps among Female Users?

The proportion of women engaging in insufficient physical activity is higher than that of men, and they may face greater barriers. Fitness apps, as effective tools for behavior change, can significantly promote active physical activity among women. Notably, women constitute over 60% of fitness app users. However, few studies have focused on the reasons behind the continuous use of fitness apps by female users. This study investigates the impact of different perceived values on the satisfaction and continuance intention of female fitness app users. A total of 395 female fitness app users from Guangzhou, China, participated in this study. The results indicate that hedonic value (β = 0.190, p < 0.001), utilitarian value (β = 0.171, p = 0.007), and health value (β = 0.440, p < 0.001) significantly and positively influence the satisfaction of female fitness app users. However, only utilitarian value (β = 0.135, p = 0.018) and health value (β = 0.436, p < 0.001) have a significant positive impact on the continuance intention, while hedonic value (β = 0.028, p = 0.547) does not. Additionally, satisfaction mediates the relationship between utilitarian and health values and continuance intention. Therefore, the design of fitness apps should prioritize helping female users achieve utilitarian and health values rather than overemphasizing hedonic-value-related content.