Examination of Exercise Addiction and Orthorexia Nervosa Symptoms of Individuals Engaged in Physical Exercise

Authors : Mustafa Turhan, Egemen Ermiş

Pages : 67-75

Doi:10.18826/useeabd.1609794

View : 24 | Download : 25

Publication Date : 2025-03-27

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Aim: The present study aimed to examine exercise addiction levels and orthorexia nervosa symptoms of individuals who engage in regular physical exercise in terms of various variables. Method: A total of 350 individuals between the ages of 16 and 50 who exercised regularly in Samsun province participated in the present study. “Personal Information Form”, “Exercise Addiction Scale” and “ORTO-11 Scale” were used as data collection tools. Normality test of independent sample t-test, ANOVA and Scheffe multiple comparison tests were conducted to analyze the results found in the study. Results: A statistically significant difference was found among male participants and female participants in terms of Postponement of Individual Social Needs and Conflict, Tolerance Development and Passion and Exercise Addiction Scale scores (p<0.05). Participants who were not satisfied with their physical appearance had higher ORTO-11 scores. Participants who had 1-3 training sessions a week had higher ORTO-11 scores than participants who had 4-7 and 8 and higher training sessions a week, while participants who had 4-7 and 8 and higher training sessions a week had higher Excessive Focus and Emotion Change, Postponement of Individual Social Needs and Conflict, Tolerance Development and Passion and Exercise Addiction Scale scores than participants who had 1-3 training sessions a week (p<0.05). Conclusion: A negative correlation was found between orthorexia nervosa and exercise addiction. It was concluded that the individuals who were engaged in regular physical exercise had low orthorexia nervosa levels and high exercise addiction levels.
Keywords : Eating Disorder, Exercise Addiction, Healthy Eating, Healthy Life, Orthorexia Nervosa