ArticleJournal of eating disorders2018
Self-reported quantity, compulsiveness and motives of exercise in patients with eating disorders and healthy controls: differences and similarities.
Article in Journal of eating disorders, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 32 citations in OpenAlex.
- Exercise therapy in the treatment of anorexia nervosa: Its effects depending on the type of physical exercise-A systematic review.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Pooled it
- Physical Activity in Eating Disorders: A Systematic Review.Nutrients · 2020Pooled it
- Mindful Eating, Disordered Eating, and Exercise Addiction: A Bayesian Gaussian Network Analysis.Nutrients · 2026Article
- Eating disorder symptom profiles and physical activity cognitions and motivations among emerging adults with physical activity intentions.Eating behaviors · 2026Article
- Social and individual factors associated with eating disorders risk among adolescents in secondary schools of Sicily (south-Italy).Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health · 2025Article
- Maladaptive exercise in eating disorders: lifetime and current impact on mental health and treatment seeking.Journal of eating disorders · 2024Article
- Restlessness and an Increased Urge to Move (Drive for Activity) in Anorexia Nervosa May Strengthen Personal Motivation to Maintain Caloric Restriction and May Augment Body Awareness and Proprioception: A Lesson From Leptin Administration in Anorexia Nervosa.Frontiers in psychology · 2022Review
- Vulnerable and Resilient Phenotypes in a Mouse Model of Anorexia Nervosa.Biological psychiatry · 2021Article
- Changes in eating and exercise behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic in a community sample: A retrospective report.Eating behaviors · 2021Article
- An evaluation of efficacy and acceptability of a novel manualised JuniorLEAP group programme for compulsive exercise, for children and adolescents with anorexia nervosa, within an inpatient setting.Eating and weight disorders : EWD · 2021Article
- Physical activity behaviors and attitudes among women with an eating disorder: a qualitative study.Journal of eating disorders · 2021Article
- Increased urge for movement, physical and mental restlessness, fundamental symptoms of restricting anorexia nervosa?Brain and behavior · 2020Article
- Is problematic exercise really problematic? A dimensional approach.CNS spectrums · 2020Article
- Not the Function of Eating, but Spontaneous Activity and Energy Expenditure, Reflected in "Restlessness" and a "Drive for Activity" Appear to Be Dysregulated in Anorexia Nervosa: Treatment Implications.Frontiers in psychology · 2018Article
- Influence of sociocultural factors on the risk of eating disorders among King Abdulaziz University students in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.Journal of family & community medicineArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundCompulsive exercise (CE) is a frequent symptom in patients with eating disorders (EDs). It includes, in addition to quantitatively excessive exercise behaviour, a driven aspect and specific motives of exercise. CE is generally associated with worse therapy outcomes. The aims of the study were to compare self-reported quantity of exercise, compulsiveness of exercise as well as motives for exercise between patients with anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN) and healthy controls (HC). Additionally, we wanted to explore predictors of compulsive exercise (CE) in each group.
methodsWe investigated 335 female participants (
resultsBoth patients with AN and BN exercised significantly more hours per week and showed significantly higher CE than HC; no differences were found between patients with AN and BN. Patients with EDs and HC also partly varied in motives for exercise. Specific motives were enjoyment, challenge, recognition and weight management in patients with EDs in contrast to ill-health avoidance and affiliation in HC. Patients with AN and BN only differed in regard to exercise for appearance reasons in which patients with BN scored higher. The most relevant predictor of CE across groups was exercise for weight and shape reasons.
conclusionsExercise behaviours and motives differ between patients with EDs and HC. CE was pronounced in both patients with AN and BN. Therefore, future research should focus not only on CE in patients with AN, but also on CE in patients with BN. Similarities in CE in patients with AN and BN support a transdiagnostic approach during the development of interventions specifically targeting CE in patients with EDs.
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