An Investigation of Exercise Behaviour Patterns Amongst Varsity Athletes.

Background: The purpose of the study was to examine the incidence of exercise dependence amongst varsity - level university athletes. Method: Physical activity behavior patterns were measured amongst 62 participants (31 male and 31 female) from a mid - size University in Canada for the purpose of identifying problematic exercise through a questionnaire - based survey utilizing the Exercise Addiction Inventory (EAI). Results: Total scores were tabulated to indicate the number of varsity athletes scoring either "at-risk", "symptomatic" or "asymptomatic" of exercise addiction, and percentages were determined for each of the EAI categories. 72.5% scored "symptomatic" while 19.5% recorded "at - risk" and 8% attained an "asymptomatic" result on the questionnaire. Interestingly, females rated "at - risk" three times higher than males whereas "asymptomatic" scores were four times greater amongst males on the EAI scale. Conclusion: While the EAI can identify individuals at risk from problematic exercise, a limitation is that high scores are not necessarily indicative of exercise addiction due to some people interpreting questions differently than they were intended. In addition, underlying causes such as anxiety, depression, difficulties with relationships or coping with personal hardship can be at the root of exercise addiction. Notwithstanding, individuals who score in the "at - risk" category of the EAI might still best be advised to seek counselling as activity should be pursed so that it enhances one's life through sustainable long - term physical, psychological and social health versus exercising for deriving a sense of physical and psychological fulfillment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]