Exercise addiction and associated factors among physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians

BackgroundExercise addiction (EA) is increasingly recognized as a behavioral disorder. Physicians in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PMR), who prescribe and practice exercise regularly, may represent a vulnerable group.ObjectiveThis study aimed to evaluate EA and related factors in PMR physicians.MethodsIn this web-based cross-sectional survey (January-February 2025), 143 PMR physicians participated. The questionnaire included sociodemographic and occupational data and the validated Turkish version of the Exercise Addiction Scale (EAS). The EAS consists of 17 items rated on a five-point Likert scale, yielding scores of 17-85. Cut-off values classify participants as normal (17), low risk (18-34), at risk (35-51), addicted (52-69), or severely addicted (70-85). The Turkish validation demonstrated high reliability (Cronbach's α = 0.88). Statistical analyses were performed using R (version 4.4.0), including descriptive statistics and ordered logistic regression.ResultsOf 143 participants, 103 (72.0%) were female and 40 (28.0%) male, with a mean age of 36.9 ± 10.6 years. According to EAS, 17.5% were low risk, 64.3% at risk, and 18.2% addicted. Logistic regression identified weekly exercise frequency (odds ratios [OR]: 8.17 for 1-2 days, 9.92 for 3-5 days, 20.75 for >5 days), medical experience (OR: 0.20 for >10 years), and workplace (OR: 3.45 for secondary hospitals) as significant predictors (p < 0.05).ConclusionEA risk is high among PMR physicians. Awareness and preventive strategies are required, and further studies should explore additional risk factors.