헬스케어 모바일 애플리케이션의 게이미피케이션 요소가 운동 지속에 미치는 영향 = The Impact of Gamification Elements in Healthcare Mobile Applications on Exercise Adherence

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Advancements in digital technology and the widespread adoption of mobile platforms have fundamentally transformed everyday activities, including exercise and health management. In particular, mobile fitness applications have become key tools for supporting physical activity by integrating gamification strategies that encourage user engagement and long-term participation. Despite this growing interest, limited empirical research has examined how gamification elements in running applications influence users’ psychological motivation and sustained exercise behavior from a structural perspective.
The purpose of this study is to investigate the structural relationships among gamification elements, Psychological Need Satisfaction, exercise continuance intention, and application continuance intention in the context of running applications. Drawing on Self-Determination Theory (SDT), this study conceptualizes gamification elements as four dimensions—challenge, reward, competition, and social interaction—and examines their effects on users’ satisfaction of competence, autonomy, and relatedness.
An online survey was conducted with users of running applications, yielding 250 valid responses for analysis. Measurement items were adapted from validated instruments in prior studies, and all constructs were measured using a five-point Likert scale. The collected data were analyzed using structural equation modeling to test the proposed research model and hypotheses.
The results indicate that challenge and reward elements significantly enhance users’ perceived competence while social interaction elements play a crucial role in satisfying relatedness. In contrast, competition elements show limited influence on Psychological Need Satisfaction. Furthermore, satisfaction of competence, autonomy, and relatedness positively affects both exercise continuance intention and application continuance intention. Application continuance intention is also found to significantly predict exercise continuance intention.
These findings suggest that gamification strategies in running applications contribute to sustained exercise behavior by fostering intrinsic motivation through Psychological Need Satisfaction. This study provides theoretical contributions by applying Self-Determination Theory to digital exercise environments and offers practical implications for the design of effective gamification strategies in mobile fitness and healthcare applications.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• 목차
• Ⅰ. 서론 1
• Ⅱ. 이론적 배경 6
• 1. 게이미피케이션 정의 6
• 2. 러닝 애플리케이션의 게이미피케이션 구성요소 8
• 3. 자기결정성이론(Self-Determination Theory, SDT) 13
• 4. 운동 지속성(Exercise Adherence) 15
• Ⅲ. 연구방법 18
• 1. 연구모형 18
• 2. 연구가설 19
• 3. 연구대상 및 연구자료 25
• Ⅳ. 연구결과 26
• 1. 설문결과 및 분석 26
• 2. 주요 변인들의 기술통계 및 상관분석 30
• 1) 주요 변인들의 기술통계 결과 30
• 2) 주요 변인간의 상관분석 31
• 3) 신뢰도 분석 33
• 4) 타당도 분석 결과 34
• 5) 확인적 요인분석(Confirmatory Factor Analysis, CFA) 결과 36
• Ⅴ. 결론 40
• 1. 요약 40
• 2. 시사점 43
• 3. 한계점 46
• 참고문헌 48
• 부록 1. 설문지 52