Meta-analysis of exercise addiction prevalence across diverse athletic disciplines

OBJECTIVE: To examine the prevalence and inter-sport differences of exercise addiction through a systematic meta-analysis. METHODS: Following PRISMA guidelines, Chinese and English databases (CNKI, VIP, PubMed, and Embase) were systematically searched for studies reporting exercise addiction prevalence using validated assessment scales. Stata 17.0 was used to perform a meta-analysis of 30 eligible studies encompassing various sports, including running, fitness training, and triathlon. RESULTS: Significant differences were observed in addiction detection rates across sports disciplines. The pooled prevalence of exercise addiction was 12.26%, with a standardized mean score of 48.28 (95% CI: 44.46-52.10). Fitness and triathlon demonstrated significantly higher prevalence rates compared with other sports. The prevalence among young adults (18-30 years) was approximately 15% higher than that of middle-aged individuals. Gender differences were also observed: men showed a slightly higher risk in strength-based sports, whereas women were more likely to exhibit compulsive exercise behaviors in mind-body activities. CONCLUSION: Exercise addiction is relatively prevalent across diverse sports disciplines, with notable differences by sport type, age group, and gender. High-goal-oriented sports such as fitness training and triathlon appear particularly associated with elevated addiction risk.