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Health promotion specialist vs fitness specialist

The differences between health promotion specialists and fitness specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a health promotion specialist, becoming a fitness specialist takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a health promotion specialist has an average salary of $40,198, which is higher than the $32,472 average annual salary of a fitness specialist.

The top three skills for a health promotion specialist include public health, data collection and health promotion programs. The most important skills for a fitness specialist are CPR, fitness assessments, and ACSM.

Health promotion specialist vs fitness specialist overview

Health Promotion SpecialistFitness Specialist
Yearly salary$40,198$32,472
Hourly rate$19.33$15.61
Growth rate12%19%
Number of jobs56,89828,175
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 66%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age4337
Years of experience412

What does a health promotion specialist do?

A health promotion specialist is responsible for promoting programs targeted at improving public health. They may also be known as a health care practitioner. They organize and manage health improvement programs. Furthermore, they raise awareness for good health, diet, and exercise through training and workshops. They are responsible for coming up with good health policies and schemes to assess health needs. They will also be expected to give advice and inform people on matters related to health. Therefore, they should be up to date with current trends in health promotion.

What does a fitness specialist do?

A Fitness Specialist is focused on promoting a healthy lifestyle through exercise and working with clients in various settings. They teach individuals or groups how to properly perform exercises and use exercise equipment.

Health promotion specialist vs fitness specialist salary

Health promotion specialists and fitness specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Health Promotion SpecialistFitness Specialist
Average salary$40,198$32,472
Salary rangeBetween $28,000 And $56,000Between $24,000 And $42,000
Highest paying CityRichmond, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyColumbia University in the City of New YorkUniversity Settlement
Best paying industryNon ProfitsEducation

Differences between health promotion specialist and fitness specialist education

There are a few differences between a health promotion specialist and a fitness specialist in terms of educational background:

Health Promotion SpecialistFitness Specialist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 66%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common majorHealth EducationKinesiology
Most common collegeUniversity of FloridaUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Health promotion specialist vs fitness specialist demographics

Here are the differences between health promotion specialists' and fitness specialists' demographics:

Health Promotion SpecialistFitness Specialist
Average age4337
Gender ratioMale, 19.9% Female, 80.1%Male, 44.8% Female, 55.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 6.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 6.5% White, 60.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%Black or African American, 7.1% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 5.1% White, 71.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage21%13%

Differences between health promotion specialist and fitness specialist duties and responsibilities

Health promotion specialist example responsibilities.

  • Manage overall time off processing and reporting as it relates to FMLA and disability programs.
  • Coordinate and develop individual exercise prescription, independently complete monthly progress reports for physician efficiently in a cardiopulmonary rehabilitation setting.
  • Develop recipes and menu plans to accommodate multiple food allergies.
  • Create custom meal plans for diabetics, food allergies and other conditions.
  • Provide case management of enrollee participation to ensure completion of schedule mammograms and cervical testing.

Fitness specialist example responsibilities.

  • Provide market research and generate leads using social media (facebook) in order to target prospective clients.
  • Lead group strength training exercises, conduct vitals, and monitor EKG telemetry before during and after exercise.
  • Conduct CPR and a workshops for facility.
  • Water safety, CPR, and a certified.
  • Maintain cleanliness of exercise equipment.
  • Maintain cleanliness and safety protocol of fitness equipment.
  • Show more

Health promotion specialist vs fitness specialist skills

Common health promotion specialist skills
  • Public Health, 21%
  • Data Collection, 6%
  • Health Promotion Programs, 5%
  • Health Fairs, 5%
  • Program Development, 4%
  • Wellness Programs, 4%
Common fitness specialist skills
  • CPR, 16%
  • Fitness Assessments, 8%
  • ACSM, 7%
  • Sales Floor, 6%
  • Blood Pressure, 5%
  • Customer Service, 5%

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