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Abstract

Exercise addiction is a rising preoccupation for researchers as a susceptible cause of serious health issues and negative consequences for individuals. Although there are numerous studies that have analysed exercise addiction, only a few have examined possible gender differences. To estimate if there is a prevalence difference between men and women relating to exercise addiction, a systematic review was conducted. Bibliographic searches were performed via PubMed and PsycINFO databases limited to English language, studies on humans, and since 2000, with the search terms: 'exercise addiction inventory' and 'exercise dependence scale', with a result of 590 potential relevant entries. Titles were then reviewed for duplicates and non-peer reviewed papers, which were then excluded. This resulted in a list with of 433 articles. Subsequently, abstracts and methods were reviewed using the following inclusion criteria: studies using the Exercise Addiction Inventory and/or the Exercise Dependence Scale, as these are the only available screening tools to identify the individual at risk of exercise addiction. The full text of the resulting 88 articles was then analysed, focusing on studies providing data about gender differences on the prevalence of exercise addiction (number of participants, percentages, and/or means and standard deviations). As reported by the 27 studies included in the final systematic review that met all the inclusion criteria, the effect size reflects variation in gender differences. Cohen's d was between .04 and .98, suggesting that men are more addicted to exercise than women. Only two studies reported that the prevalence for exercise addiction was higher in women than men. However, our study concludes that more research is needed to understand the gender differences on the prevalence of exercise addiction, and the nature of this potential disorder.

Symptoms of exercise addiction in aerobic and anaerobic exercises: Beyond the components model of addiction

“…The 5.1% difference was statistically not significant. In both groups, this proportion is within the range (0.5–21.7%) reported in 27 studies, comprising over 20,000 participants from the USA, Mexico, Denmark, Spain, Germany, UK, and Korea ( Dumitru et al, 2018 ). Nevertheless, these rates are relatively high compared to a more recent review ( Trott et al, 2020 ).…”

“…Research results on gender differences in the REA are equivocal, but a literature review suggests that men are more affected than women ( Dumitru et al, 2018 ). Indeed, the REA in anaerobic exercises, such as body conditioning ( Giardino & Procidano, 2012 ) and CrossFit ( Lichtenstein & Jensen, 2016 ), appears to be greater in men than in women.…”

Protective and Risk Factors in Exercise Addiction: A Series of Moderated Mediation Analyses

“…This definition is also further deepened with the integration of the six components of behavioural addictions [4], i.e., salience, mood modification, tolerance, withdrawal, conflict, and relapse, which have been demonstrated to have a well-founded application to exercise addiction [5][6][7]. Therefore, this condition describes individuals who perform a harmful level of physical activity [8,9] to the point of developing dependence [5,6,9], losing control [10] and perpetuating problematic behaviour, despite the difficulties and compromises associated with it [11,12], and also significantly compromises the personal functioning in different spheres of life (see Berczik et al, [13] for a review). In other words, when the exercise becomes excessive, a minority of individuals may develop adverse health consequences, both physical and psychological [14].…”

Sport Participation and Subjective Outcomes of Health in Middle-Aged Men: A Scoping Review

“…The development of a dependence and obsession with sport can lead to negative social health impacts as one may prioritize sport over family, friends and/or career ( Griffiths et al, 2005 ). There is also evidence, while limited, that males may be at higher risk of exercise addiction than females ( Dumitru & Dumitru, 2018 ) and that endurance-based sports, compared to team-based sports or health and fitness activities, are associated with higher exercise addiction risk ( Di Lodovico et al, 2019 ). It is also important to consider that sport can lead to injury.…”