These online fitness figures cover the measurement periods and populations identified in the available source material. Estimates, surveys and forecasts retain their reported scope.
Key Online Fitness Statistics
The main findings are:
- 77 million Americans engaged with fitness facilities in 2024, according to HFA’s consumer report.
- A meta-analysis included 22 web-based physical-activity studies with 16,476 intervention participants (Studies available through 2017 publication; General populations in included trials).
- A digital-home-exercise review found 10 eligible randomized controlled trials (Review published 2022; Clinical populations in included trials).
- An online-exercise meta-analysis included 18 articles and 3,571 healthy-adult participants (Review published 2025; Healthy adults).
- An internet-based exercise meta-analysis included 11 randomized controlled trials and 1,009 participants (Evidence searched through September 2023; Adults in included trials).
- A telehealth exercise review included 32 trials involving people with chronic disease (Review published 2022).
- The HFA report used a nationally representative sample of 18,000 Americans aged 6 and older (2024 behaviors, reported 2025).
- The same meta-analysis included 14,475 control participants (Studies available through 2017 publication; General populations in included trials).
- Those trials provided adherence data for 1,117 participants (Included trials; Clinical populations in included trials).
- Online exercise versus no exercise improved strength with SMD=0.61 (95% CI 0.06 to 1.15) (Included randomized trials; Healthy adults).
- Internet-based exercise reduced combined depression and anxiety symptoms with SMD=-0.44 (95% CI -0.63 to -0.26) (Included RCTs; Adults in included trials).
- Against a non-exercising comparator, videoconferencing improved exercise capacity with SMD=0.616 (95% CI 0.278 to 0.954) (Included comparator trials; People with chronic disease).
- The HFA consumer research covers Americans aged 6 years and older rather than adults only (2024).
- Five of 14 trials reporting moderate-to-vigorous physical activity found a significant increase after web-based intervention (Included trials; General populations in included trials).
- Seven of 10 trials reported significantly better adherence with an added digital intervention (Included trials; Clinical populations in included trials).
Contents
- Key Online Fitness Statistics
- Online fitness statistics: participation, reach and consumer context
- Online fitness intervention statistics for physical activity
- Online fitness adherence and engagement statistics
- Online fitness outcomes for strength, balance and function
- Online fitness statistics for mental health and quality of life
- Videoconference exercise statistics for chronic disease and older adults
Online fitness statistics: participation, reach and consumer context
- 77 million Americans engaged with fitness facilities in 2024, according to HFA’s consumer report. (2025 US Health & Fitness…)
- The HFA report used a nationally representative sample of 18,000 Americans aged 6 and older (2024 behaviors, reported 2025). (2025 US Health & Fitness…)
- The HFA consumer research covers Americans aged 6 years and older rather than adults only (2024). (2025 US Health & Fitness…)
Facility engagement is not the same as online-fitness use.
Sample size is context for the survey, not a population estimate by itself.
Do not generalize this population definition to adult-only online fitness claims.
Online fitness intervention statistics for physical activity
- A meta-analysis included 22 web-based physical-activity studies with 16,476 intervention participants (Studies available through 2017 publication; General populations in included trials). (Web-based physical activity interventions: a…)
- The same meta-analysis included 14,475 control participants (Studies available through 2017 publication; General populations in included trials). (Web-based physical activity interventions: a…)
- Five of 14 trials reporting moderate-to-vigorous physical activity found a significant increase after web-based intervention (Included trials; General populations in included trials). (Web-based physical activity interventions: a…)
- Four of 14 trials assessing walking minutes per week found a significant increase (Included trials; General populations in included trials). (Web-based physical activity interventions: a…)
- Heterogeneity for the moderate-to-vigorous physical-activity analysis was I²=67.8% (Included trials; General populations in included trials). (Web-based physical activity interventions: a…)
- Heterogeneity for the step-count analysis was I²=93.3% (Included pedometer trials; General populations in included trials). (Web-based physical activity interventions: a…)
- Heterogeneity for walking-minutes outcomes was I²=68.1% (Included trials; General populations in included trials). (Web-based physical activity interventions: a…)
Pooled evidence spans heterogeneous interventions and populations.
Control conditions differed among trials.
This is a count of positive trials, not a pooled percentage effect.
Walking minutes were not measured identically across all studies.
High heterogeneity limits a single universal effect interpretation.
Very high heterogeneity makes pooled step effects difficult to generalize.
Outcome definitions and intervention duration varied.
Online fitness adherence and engagement statistics
- A digital-home-exercise review found 10 eligible randomized controlled trials (Review published 2022; Clinical populations in included trials). (Do digital interventions increase adherence…)
- Those trials provided adherence data for 1,117 participants (Included trials; Clinical populations in included trials). (Do digital interventions increase adherence…)
- Seven of 10 trials reported significantly better adherence with an added digital intervention (Included trials; Clinical populations in included trials). (Do digital interventions increase adherence…)
- Three of 10 trials reported equivalent adherence between digital-intervention and control groups (Included trials; Clinical populations in included trials). (Do digital interventions increase adherence…)
The review concerns prescribed rehabilitation exercise, not all consumer fitness apps.
Participants were in prescribed home-exercise programs.
Adherence metrics differed and the review could not pool them formally.
The three equivalent studies reported longer-term outcomes.
Online fitness outcomes for strength, balance and function
- An online-exercise meta-analysis included 18 articles and 3,571 healthy-adult participants (Review published 2025; Healthy adults). (The Effectiveness of Online Exercise…)
- Online exercise versus no exercise improved strength with SMD=0.61 (95% CI 0.06 to 1.15) (Included randomized trials; Healthy adults). (The Effectiveness of Online Exercise…)
- Online exercise improved balance with SMD=0.52 (95% CI 0.06 to 0.99) versus no exercise (Included randomized trials; Healthy adults). (The Effectiveness of Online Exercise…)
- Online exercise showed an endurance SMD=0.85 (95% CI -0.01 to 1.70) versus no exercise (Included randomized trials; Healthy adults). (The Effectiveness of Online Exercise…)
- Online exercise improved physical activity with SMD=0.46 (95% CI 0.05 to 0.87) versus no exercise (Included randomized trials; Healthy adults). (The Effectiveness of Online Exercise…)
- Face-to-face exercise improved gait speed more than online exercise with SMD=0.25 (95% CI 0.24 to 0.26) in two studies (Included randomized trials; Healthy adults). (The Effectiveness of Online Exercise…)
The review focused on healthy adults, not children or clinical populations.
Pooled evidence was low to moderate certainty.
Balance tests varied across trials.
The confidence interval includes no effect.
Physical-activity measurement methods varied.
This gait-speed comparison came from only two studies.
Online fitness statistics for mental health and quality of life
- An internet-based exercise meta-analysis included 11 randomized controlled trials and 1,009 participants (Evidence searched through September 2023; Adults in included trials). (Effects of internet-based exercise intervention…)
- Internet-based exercise reduced combined depression and anxiety symptoms with SMD=-0.44 (95% CI -0.63 to -0.26) (Included RCTs; Adults in included trials). (Effects of internet-based exercise intervention…)
- The combined depression/anxiety analysis had I²=79.3% heterogeneity (Included RCTs; Adults in included trials). (Effects of internet-based exercise intervention…)
- Among participants diagnosed with depression, the symptom effect was SMD=-0.96 (95% CI -1.55 to -0.37) (Included RCT subgroup; Adults diagnosed with depression). (Effects of internet-based exercise intervention…)
- The depression-diagnosis subgroup had I²=82% heterogeneity (Included RCT subgroup; Adults diagnosed with depression). (Effects of internet-based exercise intervention…)
- Smartphone-app interventions produced SMD=-0.52 (95% CI -0.90 to -0.14) for symptoms (Included RCT subgroup; Participants using smartphone apps). (Effects of internet-based exercise intervention…)
- The smartphone-app subgroup had I²=87% heterogeneity (Included RCT subgroup; Participants using smartphone apps). (Effects of internet-based exercise intervention…)
- Interventions lasting under 12 weeks reduced depression symptoms with SMD=-0.76 (95% CI -1.38 to -0.14) (Included RCT subgroup; Adults in short-term interventions). (Effects of internet-based exercise intervention…)
- The under-12-week depression subgroup had I²=86% heterogeneity (Included RCT subgroup; Adults in short-term interventions). (Effects of internet-based exercise intervention…)
- Online exercise improved mood or emotion with SMD=0.47 (95% CI 0.05 to 0.90) versus no exercise (Included randomized trials; Healthy adults). (The Effectiveness of Online Exercise…)
- Online exercise improved mental well-being with SMD=0.79 (95% CI 0.06 to 1.52) versus no exercise (Included randomized trials; Healthy adults). (The Effectiveness of Online Exercise…)
- Online exercise improved self-efficacy with SMD=1.10 (95% CI 1.03 to 1.17) (Included randomized trials; Healthy adults). (The Effectiveness of Online Exercise…)
Interventions and participant health status varied.
The analysis had I²=79.3% heterogeneity.
High heterogeneity limits direct transfer to every online program.
This subgroup is not representative of all online-fitness users.
Substantial variation remained between trials.
The result combines depression and anxiety symptom measures.
Very high heterogeneity reduces certainty about a typical app effect.
This is a short-term subgroup result, not evidence of lasting benefit.
High heterogeneity and short follow-up limit generalization.
Mood measures were not uniform across studies.
The pooled evidence was low to moderate certainty.
This result came from three studies and self-efficacy scales differed.
Videoconference exercise statistics for chronic disease and older adults
- A telehealth exercise review included 32 trials involving people with chronic disease (Review published 2022). (Effectiveness of exercise via telehealth…)
- Against a non-exercising comparator, videoconferencing improved exercise capacity with SMD=0.616 (95% CI 0.278 to 0.954) (Included comparator trials; People with chronic disease). (Effectiveness of exercise via telehealth…)
- Against a non-exercising comparator, videoconferencing improved quality of life with SMD=0.400 (95% CI 0.099 to 0.701) (Included comparator trials; People with chronic disease). (Effectiveness of exercise via telehealth…)
- Against an exercising comparator, videoconferencing improved quality of life with SMD=0.271 (95% CI 0.028 to 0.515) (Included comparator trials; People with chronic disease). (Effectiveness of exercise via telehealth…)
- Against an exercising comparator, videoconferencing improved exercise capacity with SMD=0.242 (95% CI 0.059 to 0.426) (Included comparator trials; People with chronic disease). (Effectiveness of exercise via telehealth…)
- Reported session attendance averaged 70% across 23 telehealth trials (Included trials; People with chronic disease). (Effectiveness of exercise via telehealth…)
- Technical issues occurred in 17% of sessions across nine telehealth trials that documented them (Included trials; People with chronic disease). (Effectiveness of exercise via telehealth…)
- The older-adult remote-exercise review analyzed 28 studies with 2,086 participants (Review published 2025; Community-dwelling older adults). (Feasibility and effectiveness of physical…)
- Average attendance was 79.7% in the older-adult review (Included high-quality studies; Community-dwelling older adults). (Feasibility and effectiveness of physical…)
- Average completion was 92.8% in the older-adult review (Included high-quality studies; Community-dwelling older adults). (Feasibility and effectiveness of physical…)
- Videoconference exercise improved physical function with SMD=0.82 (95% CI 0.46 to 1.19) versus no intervention (Included high-quality studies; Community-dwelling older adults). (Feasibility and effectiveness of physical…)
- Videoconference exercise improved muscle strength with SMD=0.86 (95% CI 0.46 to 1.26) (Included high-quality studies; Community-dwelling older adults). (Feasibility and effectiveness of physical…)
- Videoconference exercise improved emotional status with SMD=0.72 (95% CI 0.35 to 1.09) (Included high-quality studies; Community-dwelling older adults). (Feasibility and effectiveness of physical…)
- Videoconference exercise improved quality of life with SMD=0.61 (95% CI 0.19 to 1.03) (Included high-quality studies; Community-dwelling older adults). (Feasibility and effectiveness of physical…)
Only 12 trials had comparator data suitable for between-group meta-analysis.
Evidence certainty was not uniformly high.
Quality-of-life instruments varied.
This is a small between-delivery difference.
Comparator exercise programs varied.
Attendance was reported in only 23 trials and definitions may differ.
Only nine trials reported total technical-issue counts.
The evidence concerns remotely delivered exercise, not all online fitness products.
Attendance definitions and intervention formats varied.
Completion is not the same as attendance at every session.
Only 25% of all reviewed studies met the highest methodological standards.
Strength tests varied and the review noted small samples.
Emotional-status measures were heterogeneous.
The review reported high heterogeneity in outcome measures.