Examination of Exercise Craving in Individuals Who Exercise Regularly According to Sex, Age, Educational Level, and Exercise Duration
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22150620Keywords:
Exercise addiction, Exercise craving, Exercise obsession, Exercise withdrawalAbstract
Understanding the psychological processes involved in maintaining regular exercise behavior is important for promoting healthy exercise habits. Exercise craving, defined as an intense desire and cognitive preoccupation with engaging in exercise, may vary according to individual and exercise-related characteristics. This study aimed to examine exercise craving according to sex, age, educational level, and exercise-related characteristics in individuals who exercise regularly. The study included 314 adults who had exercised regularly for at least six months (113 women, 201 men; mean age = 30.94 ± 10.25 years). Exercise craving was assessed using the Exercise Craving Scale. Men had significantly higher overall exercise craving (p = .004), exercise obsession (p = .002), and withdrawal effects (p = .004) scores than women. Age was negatively correlated with withdrawal effects (r = −.237, p < .001), but was not significantly associated with overall exercise craving or exercise obsession. Educational level was significantly associated only with withdrawal effects (p < .001). Years of exercise participation differed significantly for exercise obsession (p = .020), with higher scores among those exercising for seven years or more than among those exercising for 1–2 years (p = .016). Daily exercise duration was not significantly associated with any scale score (p > .05). Weekly exercise frequency was significantly associated with overall exercise craving (p = .031) and exercise obsession (p = .001), but not with withdrawal effects (p = .796). Overall, different dimensions of exercise craving showed distinct associations with sociodemographic and exercise-related characteristics.
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