An examination of the relationship between excessive exercise, obsessive-compulsive tendencies, eating disorders and body image.

Abstract

This study sought to examine the relationship between the level of exercise a person engages in (low, medium, or high) based on the score of the Exercise Salience Scale (ESS) and the scores on the Eating Disorder Inventory-2 (EDI-2), the body dissatisfaction subscale of the EDI-2, and the Padua Inventory (obsessive-compulsive scale). It was hypothesized that high involvement exercisers would have more eating disorder behaviors, have more obsessive-compulsive tendencies, and be less satisfied with their body image. A sample of60 men and 74 women aged 18 and older from the YMCA in Salina, Kansas participated in the study. Each person responded to a questionnaire containing the ESS, EDI-2, Padua Inventory, and a personal history form. Analyses of variance (ANOVA) were conducted on the level of exercise versus the EDI-2 score, body dissatisfaction score and the Padua Inventory score. Further analysis was conducted to determine any gender differences. A significant difference was found between the level of exercise and the EDI-2 score, body dissatisfaction score, and the Padua Inventory score for both men and women. The more involved the person was in exercise the more eating disorder items they endorsed on the EDI-2, the greater body dissatisfaction they experienced and the more obsessive-compulsive they were. It was also found women scored higher than men on the EDI-2, the body dissatisfaction subscale of the EDI-2 and the Padua Inventory on each level of exercise involvement (low, medium and high).