NCT07061509

Exercise Addiction and Health Risks in Gym Users

Musculoskeletal and Cardiovascular Effects of Exercise Addiction in Recreational Bodybuilders

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: —
• Study type: Observational
• Enrollment: 32 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Saglik Bilimleri Universitesi · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 85 Years
• Healthy volunteers: —

Summary

This observational study aims to investigate the prevalence of musculoskeletal injuries and cardiovascular risk factors among individuals with and without exercise addiction. Adult recreational gym users who have been engaging in resistance training for at least six months will be included. Participants will be divided into two groups based on their exercise dependence levels, and outcomes such as musculoskeletal symptoms, anabolic substance use, and cardiovascular risk scores will be compared between groups.

Detailed description

The current study will examine the effects of exercise addiction on musculoskeletal and cardiovascular health in recreational gym users. Exercise addiction is characterized by compulsive training behavior despite physical or psychological harm and is increasingly prevalent among young adults, especially those engaged in bodybuilding. Participants will be recruited from randomly selected fitness centers in Istanbul and categorized into exercise-dependent and non-dependent groups using the Exercise Dependence Scale-21 (EDS-21). Musculoskeletal symptoms will be assessed using the Extended Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire. Cardiovascular risk will be evaluated using the SCORE Risk Assessment System, which considers factors such as blood pressure, smoking, cholesterol, and blood glucose levels. The Drive for Muscularity Scale (DMS) will also be applied to assess body image and muscle-related attitudes. In addition to the physical assessments, participants will be asked about the use of anabolic steroids, and the frequency and patterns of such use will be recorded. The study will aim to raise awareness about the health consequences of excessive exercise and unregulated anabolic substance use, with the goal of informing preventive strategies and guiding future research.

Conditions

• Exercise Addiction
• Cardiovascular Abnormalities

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Battery of Physical and Psychological Assessments	Participants in this observational study will not receive any therapeutic intervention. Instead, all individuals will undergo a series of standardized non-invasive assessments for data collection purposes. These include the Exercise Dependence Scale-21 (EDS-21) to classify exercise addiction status, the Drive for Muscularity Scale (DMS) to evaluate body image and muscle-related attitudes, and the Extended Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire to determine the presence and severity of musculoskeletal symptoms. Cardiovascular risk will be assessed using the SCORE Risk Assessment System, which incorporates blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose, smoking status, and demographic data. Additional measurements will include oxygen saturation and heart rate using pulse oximetry, and blood pressure using a sphygmomanometer. These evaluations are intended solely for comparative analysis between exercise-dependent and non-dependent groups.

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-07-29
• Primary completion: 2026-07-20
• Completion: 2026-07-20
• First posted: 2025-07-11
• Last updated: 2025-07-30

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Turkey (Türkiye)