Risk for exercise dependence, eating disorder pathology, alcohol use disorder and addictive behaviors among clients of fitness centers

Müller, Astrid; Loeber, Sabine; Söchtig, Johanna; Wildt, Bert Theodor te; Zwaan, Martina de

doi:10.1556/2006.4.2015.044

Cited by 54 publications

(70 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…If exercise addiction, by definition, is linked to an escape from stress (Egorov & Szabo, 2013) and has to result in some negative outcome to be considered morbidity (Szabo, 2010), then high scores of exercise addiction in passionate and dedicated athletes may represent a “false alarm” in assessment. Indeed, in accord with the new conjecture (Szabo et al., 2015) that the interpretation of the items aimed at gauging exercise addiction may vary among individuals, especially athletes, our results show that passion and dedication may be two of the many possible moderators that may also include social physique anxiety (Cook et al., 2015), eating disorders (Müller, Loeber, Söchtig, Te Wildt, & De Zwaan, 2015), and/or trait anxiety and depression (Weinstein, Maayan, & Weinstein, 2015). …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exercise Addiction in Athletes and Leisure Exercisers: The Moderating Role of Passion

Vega¹,

Parastatidou²,

Ruíz-Barquín³

et al. 2016

J Behav Addict

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Background and aimsRecently, empirical research has linked obsessive passion to the etiology of exercise addiction, and the conceptual reason behind the fact that the latter is more prevalent in athletes than leisure exercisers has been challenged. The aim of this study was to determine the link between exercise addiction and harmonious passion, obsessive passion, and dedication to sports, in the context of athletic levels.MethodA sample comprised of low- and high-level competitive athletes and non-competitive leisure exercisers (n = 313) was examined, in a cross-sectional design, in which participants completed the Spanish validated versions of the Exercise Addiction Inventory (Sicilia, Alías-García, Ferriz, & Moreno-Murcia, 2013) and Passion Scale (Chamarro et al., 2015).ResultsObsessive passion and dedication to sports emerged as strong predictors of exercise addiction. Competitive athletes scored higher than leisure exercisers on all measures. Athletes competing at low and high levels only differed in dedication to their sports from each other. Team-sports athletes reported greater harmonious and obsessive passions, and dedication to sports, but not different exercise addictions, than people taking part in individual sports.ConclusionsThe concept of exercise addiction is not a plain and independent construct and may not reflect a psychological dysfunction in the athletic population. Athletes could interpret exercise addiction screening-items differently from non-athletes. Athletes in team sports report greater passion and dedication than those practicing individual sports.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exercise Addiction in Athletes and Leisure Exercisers: The Moderating Role of Passion

Vega¹,

Parastatidou²,

Ruíz-Barquín³

et al. 2016

J Behav Addict

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“…In addition to the higher prevalence of ED in athletes, some athletes, especially endurance athletes, comprise a group which is furthermore at higher risk for harmful excessive exercise, the so-called exercise dependence (EXD) [21]. Prevalence for EXD is 0.5-3.5% in the general population [22] and up to > 50% within triathletes [23]. Some research groups also describe pathological excessive exercise as 'exercise addiction' [24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32].…”

Section: Exercise Dependence In Athletesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The relationship between food addiction and patterns of disordered eating with exercise dependence: in amateur endurance athletes

et al. 2019

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Purpose Examine the prevalence and potential relationships among food addiction (FA)-as measured by Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0 (YFAS 2.0), eating disorders (ED)-as measured by Eating Disorder Diagnostic Scale (EDDS)-and exercise dependence (EXD)-as measured by Questionnaire to Diagnose Exercise Dependence in Endurance Sports (FESA), for the first time worldwide, in amateur endurance athletes. Methods A total of 1022 German-speaking endurance athletes (44% male, Ø 36 years, Ø BMI 23 kg/m 2) replied to an online questionnaire consisting of demographics, related parameters, and the German versions of YFAS 2.0, EDDS, and FESA. Results Prevalence of FA, ED, and EXD was 6.2, 6.5, and 30.5%. The probability for FA increases with BMI, thoughts about food and EXD score, and decreases with age and when an ED is present. People with FA and people with ED vs. people with both, FA&ED, differed significantly in this cohort. Strong significant relationships were found between FA and EXD (X 2 (1) = 15.117, p < 0.001, n = 1022). Conclusions A considerable number of amateur endurance athletes may suffer from FA. The association between FA and EXD is stronger than between ED and EXD, indicating FA as a potentially more relevant subject-than ED-for prevention or therapy in people with EXD. Further studies are needed to investigate parameters and relationships between the possibly involved types of ED, FA, and EXD. Level of evidence Level III, well-designed cohort analytic study.

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“…There is also evidence that this behavior is carried out, at least to some extent, in fitness centers. Estimates of between 8% [23] and 43% [24] of "exercise dependence prevalence" have been reported, with Stapleton and colleagues [25] reporting at least a single occurrence in 43% of their male gym-using sample.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There is also evidence that prevalence of eating disorders among such exercisers is higher than among competitive and organized sports participants [26]. Muller and colleagues reported that 10.9% of their sample of fitness center clients fulfilled the criteria for an eating disorder, as assessed by the Eating Disorders Examination-Questionnaire [23]. Stapleton and colleagues [25] reported at least one occurrence of binge eating or dietary restraint in 35 and 15%, respectively, of male fitness center clients.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Responses of fitness center employees to cases of suspected eating disorders or excessive exercise

et al. 2020

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Background: While exercise and physical activity are important parts of a healthy life, there is evidence that some individuals exercise to a degree which may jeopardize their health. These individuals may in some cases be exercising to lose weight or compensate binge eating episodes as part of an eating disorder. Others may experience an addiction-like relationship with exercise. Fitness center employees are ideally placed to observe these forms of unhealthy behavior, and are responsible for ensuring that clients do not put themselves at undue risk; however, to date, no study has addressed both eating disorders and excessive exercise. Therefore, the aim of our study is to determine whether these employees report incidences of these issues, and if they believe they can differentiate between them. Methods: One-hundred-and-forty fitness centers in the German-speaking regions of Switzerland were contacted. Of these, 99 employees (60 men, 39 women, M age = 33.33 years, SD = 12.02) responded to an online questionnaire. The questionnaire briefly described the two issues of interest (eating disorders and excessive exercise), and then invited respondents to complete a number of questions detailing whether they had experience with these issues, and how they dealt with them.Results: Approximately 75% of the employees had suspected a client of having an eating disorder or exercising excessively, and 65% of these respondents confronted the client at least once. Interestingly, respondents reported clearly that they felt able to differentiate between the two types of disorder. Older respondents were significantly more likely to have suspicions and act on them. However, less than half of the respondents were aware of guidelines addressing this issue, and the majority desired more information about how to identify and address both disorders. Conclusions: Swiss fitness center employees frequently encounter individuals who they suspect of exercising excessively, or suffering from an eating disorder. While they often confront these individuals, they would like more detailed information about how to manage this process. Given that both disorders can potentially lead to severe health consequences, a detailed description of symptoms, management techniques and resources should be a feature in all Swiss fitness center guidelines.

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Risk for exercise dependence, eating disorder pathology, alcohol use disorder and addictive behaviors among clients of fitness centers

Cited by 54 publications

References 43 publications

Exercise Addiction in Athletes and Leisure Exercisers: The Moderating Role of Passion

Exercise Addiction in Athletes and Leisure Exercisers: The Moderating Role of Passion

The relationship between food addiction and patterns of disordered eating with exercise dependence: in amateur endurance athletes

Responses of fitness center employees to cases of suspected eating disorders or excessive exercise

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