Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Sep;5(3):474-84.
doi: 10.1556/2006.5.2016.060. Epub 2016 Aug 24.

Identifying the features of an exercise addiction: A Delphi study

Lucy Macfarlane  1 , Glynn Owens  1 , Borja Del Pozo Cruz  2
Affiliations

Identifying the features of an exercise addiction: A Delphi study

Lucy Macfarlane et al. J Behav Addict. 2016 Sep.

Abstract

Objectives There remains limited consensus regarding the definition and conceptual basis of exercise addiction. An understanding of the factors motivating maintenance of addictive exercise behavior is important for appropriately targeting intervention. The aims of this study were twofold: first, to establish consensus on features of an exercise addiction using Delphi methodology and second, to identify whether these features are congruous with a conceptual model of exercise addiction adapted from the Work Craving Model. Methods A three-round Delphi process explored the views of participants regarding the features of an exercise addiction. The participants were selected from sport and exercise relevant domains, including physicians, physiotherapists, coaches, trainers, and athletes. Suggestions meeting consensus were considered with regard to the proposed conceptual model. Results and discussion Sixty-three items reached consensus. There was concordance of opinion that exercising excessively is an addiction, and therefore it was appropriate to consider the suggestions in light of the addiction-based conceptual model. Statements reaching consensus were consistent with all three components of the model: learned (negative perfectionism), behavioral (obsessive-compulsive drive), and hedonic (self-worth compensation and reduction of negative affect and withdrawal). Conclusions Delphi methodology allowed consensus to be reached regarding the features of an exercise addiction, and these features were consistent with our hypothesized conceptual model of exercise addiction. This study is the first to have applied Delphi methodology to the exercise addiction field, and therefore introduces a novel approach to exercise addiction research that can be used as a template to stimulate future examination using this technique.

Keywords: Delphi technique; exercise addiction; obsessive–compulsive; perfectionism; work craving.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Overview of the Delphi process
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Bamber D., Cockerill I. M., Carroll D. (2000). The pathological status of exercise dependence. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 34(2), 125–132. doi:10.1136/bjsm.34.2.125 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bauman A. E. (2004). Updating the evidence that physical activity is good for health: An epidemiological review 2000–2003. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 7(1), 6–19. doi:10.1016/S1440-2440(04)80273-1 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Berczik K., Szabo A., Griffiths M. D., Kurimay T., Kun B., Urban R., Demetrovics Z. (2012). Exercise addiction: Symptoms, diagnosis, epidemiology, and etiology. Substance Use and Misuse, 47, 403–417. doi:10.3109/10826084.2011.639120 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Berridge K. C., Robinson T. E., Aldridge J. W. (2009). Dissecting components of reward: ‘Liking’, ‘wanting’ and learning. Current Opinion in Pharmacology, 9(1), 65–73. doi:10.1016/j.coph.2008.12.014 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Brown R. I. F. (1993). Some contributions of the study of gambling to the study of other addictions In Eadington W. R., Cornelius J. (Eds.), Gambling behaviour and problem gambling (pp. 241–272). Reno, NV: University of Nevada Press.

Publication types