Aim: The aim of our study was to examine gender and age differences in the usage of exercise apps and the reasons for using such apps. The aim was also to investigate whether there was a link between the amount of exercise and the use of exercise apps. What is it about exercise apps that captures the interest of physically active individuals? What gender differences are there in the use of exercise apps for physically active individuals? What age differences are there in the use of exercise apps for physically active individuals Are there any connections between the use of exercise apps and the amount of exercise in physically active individuals?  Method: The study was quantitative and the data was collected by the use of questionnaires. A convenience sample of physically active individuals was made. The questionnaires were compiled and the data was analysed in SPSS. The data was not normalised and therefore no parametric analyses were used. Tables and figures were formed in Microsoft Word. Results: In this study 292 individuals participated, of which 258 individuals were analysed as only those met the criteria for physical activity. The three major reasons why individuals used exercise apps were because it was comfortable, to measure statistics and because the apps were motivating. There were no differences between men and women regarding the use of exercise apps. However, there was a significant difference regarding age and the use of exercise apps. The age group 65+ was the group that differed from the rest as fewer individuals in this group used exercise apps. The results also showed that the individuals who used exercise apps exercised more minutes per week than the individuals who didn’t use exercise apps. Conclusions: The study has given us an overview of the use of exercise apps in physically active individuals. The main motives for the use of exercise programs have been developed and the three most common exercise programs have been established. A connection between the use of exercise apps and the amount of exercise has also been shown. As research on this new trend is limited, these results may be a starting point for further research in this area. / Syfte och frågeställningar: Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka köns- och åldersskillnader i användandet av träningsappar hos fysiskt aktiva individer samt orsaker till att dessa appar nyttjades. Syftet var även att undersöka om det fanns ett samband mellan träningsmängd och användandet av träningsappar. Vad är det i träningsappar som fångar intresset hos fysiskt aktiva individer? Vilka könsskillnader finns det i användandet av träningsappar hos fysiskt aktiva individer? Vilka åldersskillnader finns det i användandet av träningsappar hos fysiskt aktiva individer? Finns det något samband mellan användandet av träningsappar och träningsmängden hos fysiskt aktiva individer? Metod: Studien var kvantitativ och data samlades in med hjälp av enkäter. Ett bekvämlighetsurval gjordes på fysiskt aktiva individer. Enkäter sammanställdes och datananalyserades i SPSS. Datan var inte normalfördelad och därför användes icke parametriska analyser. Tabeller och figurer framtogs i Microsoft Word. Resultat: I studien deltog 292 individer varav 258 analyserades då endast dessa uppfyllde kriterierna för fysisk aktivitet. De tre största motiven till varför individerna valde träningsappar var för att det var bekvämt, för att mäta statistik och för att det var motiverande. Inga skillnader sågs mellan män och kvinnor gällande användandet av träningsappar. Det sågs däremot en signifikant skillnad vad gällde ålder och användandet av träningsappar. Ålderskategorin 65+ var den grupp som skiljde sig från resterande då färre individer i denna grupp använde träningsappar. Resultatet visade även att de individer som använde träningsappar tränade fler minuter per vecka jämfört med de som inte använde träningsappar. Slutsats: Studien har gett oss en överblick över användandet av träningsappar hos fysiskt aktiva. De största motiven för användning av träningsappar har tagits fram och de tre vanligaste träningsapparna har fastställts. Det har även visats ett samband mellan användandet av träningsappar och träningsmängd. Då forskning om denna nya trend är begränsad kan dessa resultat vara ett startskott för vidare forskning inom detta område.

In recent years, apps aimed towards promoting health and fitness have become increasingly popular. It is evident by research that health and fitness apps can have positive effects such as increased physical activity among its users. However, as health and fitness app downloads continue to increase, physical activity does not follow the same trend. Physical inactivity is a widespread issue today as it affects public health and leads to substantial costs for healthcare and society. This indicates a need for a deeper understanding in how health and fitness apps can be part of the solution for the issue of physical inactivity. The aim of this paper is to investigate which digital app functions in health and fitness apps are most effective in promoting motivation for physical activity, which functions support users’ congenital psychological needs for motivation as well as which congenital needs users think are the most important to fulfill for the purpose of promoting motivation for physical activity. The study is based on a quantitative approach and presents user experiences collected with an online survey spread via social media platforms. The survey answers have been reviewed and examined in relation to two theoretical frameworks: Self-Determination Theory and the taxonomy of app features based on Self-Determination Theory. Results of the study show users find competence to be the most prioritized inherent need for a health and fitness app to fulfill, closely followed by autonomy. Competence's high ranking among users aligns well with the three highest rated app functions which fall under the competence category. The highest rated function for motivation for physical activity was activity logging. Regarding which functions support which congenital needs, users found autonomy to be best supported by function 1: goal setting and function 6: summaries which contradicts earlier research that categorizes summaries as a function that supports the competence need. However, the results of this study also place summaries as the function which best supports the competence need. For the relatedness need the results of our web survey shows many respondents find that none of the included functions of this study support the need for relatedness.