How spanish fitness instructors are traineda comparative study across a range of variables

Abstract

Introduction: Instructors´ adequate intervention and professional performance, which generate and guarantee educational, social and health benefits, depend on fitness instructors having the appropriate initial training as well as completing and improving through the necessary ongoing training. Objectives: this study aimed to know the formal and ongoing education carried out by fitness instructors and to inter-relate and compare it in terms of gender, age and work experience. Method: This research falls within the methodology of quantitative type with a descriptive cut and the procedures followed were those of a sectional survey. Structured interviews based on the standardized questionnaire “PROAFIDE: Sport and physical activity human resources”, were conducted with 631 fitness instructors from Spain. Key results indicated that 39.8% of them had studied a university degree. Fitness instructors most frequently attend courses with a diploma or certificate (X = 67.4%), attend at conferences (X = 20.1%) and attend at congresses (X = 13.3%) for the development of their professional activity. 70.2% said that their organizations did not arranged training activities for them. In general men, aged between 30 and 45 and with 10 years of experience or more and with higher education level attended more formal learning situations. Conclusions: efforts should continue to develop relevant and useful learning situations for fitness instructors as well as extend their knowledge into new areas. Also, sport organizations should provide continuing education experiences for their fitness instructors.