Service Quality Assessment Scale (SQAS): An Instrument for Evaluating Service Quality of Health-Fitness Clubs

This study was designed to develop the Service Quality Assessment Scale to evaluate the service quality of health-fitness clubs. Through a review of literature, field observations, interviews, modified application of the Delphi technique, and a pilot study, a preliminary scale with 46 items was formulated. The preliminary scale was administered to members of one health-fitness club. From exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of the pilot test data, 6 factors emerged. Next the revised scale (reduced to a 40-item scale) was administered to 10 health-fitness clubs (N = 1,202). The data set was split into halves: one for EFA and the other for confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Six factors emerged in the EFA: Staff, Program, Locker Room, Physical Facility, Workout Facility, and Child Care. The fit indexes from the CFA indicated that the model was permissible (e.g., Root Mean Square Error of Approximation = .07, Standardized Root Mean Square Residual = .05, Comparative Fit Index = .87). All the factors had acceptable alpha and composite reliability coefficients. The model was then tested for invariance across gender; 9 items were eliminated due to a lack of invariance for factor loadings or tau coefficients. The 31-item scale with 6 factors displayed sound psychometric properties and invariance for factor loadings and tau coefficients, and can be utilized to evaluate service-quality issues in various health-fitness club settings.