Evaluation of The Faculty of Sports Sciences Students' Exercise Addiction, Orthorexia Nervosa Tendency, and Beliefs in Nutritional Supplements

Öz

Aim: Exercise addiction is prevalent among sports science students and may increase orthorexic tendencies and dietary supplement use. This study aimed to examine the prevalence and relationships of these behaviors. Materials and Methods: Conducted between July 2023 and July 2024 using a cross-sectional design, data were collected from 256 students via an online questionnaire. In addition to general information and dietary habits, the questionnaire included the Exercise Addiction Scale (EAS), the Teruel Orthorexia Nervosa Scale (TOS), and the Sports Supplements Belief Scale (SSBS). Results: Almost all participants (99,6%) were classified in the exercise addiction risk group. The mean EAS score was 56.7±8.2, the healthy orthorexia score was 13.8±5.6 (moderate), and the orthorexia nervosa score was 6.7±4.9 (low). A total of 69.5% of participants reported using dietary supplements. A mean SSBS score of 22.2±8.0, indicating a moderate level of belief in sports supplements. EAS scores showed weak but statistically significant positive correlations with healthy orthorexia (HO) (r=0.433) and orthorexia nervosa (ON) (r=0.451) (p<0.001). A multiple linear regression analysis revealed that HO (β=0.22, p=0.003) and ON (β=0.32, p<0.001) significantly predicted EAS scores, even after controlling for supplement beliefs and sociodemographic factors. The model explained 25.3% of the variance in exercise addiction scores. Conclusion: These results suggest that exercise addiction is associated with both interest in healthy eating and orthorexic tendencies. While SSBS and demographic factors did not significantly predict EAS, the high prevalence of supplement use and the moderate belief level suggest a continuing need for structured education on safe supplement practices. In this regard, it is recommended that topics such as healthy eating behaviours, the relationship between diet and exercise, and safe supplement use be included in the curricula of nutrition courses taught in sports science programmes.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Exercise addiction
• nutritional supplements
• Orthorexia Nervosa

Spor Bilimleri Fakültesi Öğrencilerinin Egzersiz Bağımlılığı, Ortoreksiya Nervoza Eğilimi ve Besin Takviyelerine Yönelik İnançlarının Değerlendirilmesi

Öz

Amaç: Egzersiz bağımlılığı, spor bilimleri öğrencileri arasında yaygın görülen bir durum olup, ortoreksik eğilimleri ve besin takviyesi kullanımını artırabilmektedir. Bu çalışma, bu davranışların yaygınlığını ve ilişkilerini incelemek amacıyla yürütülmüştür. Gereç ve Yöntem: Temmuz 2023– Temmuz 2024 tarihleri arasında kesitsel araştırma tasarımı ile gerçekleştirilen çalışmada, çevrim içi anket yöntemiyle 256 öğrenciden veri toplanmıştır. Anket formunda genel bilgiler ve beslenme alışkanlıklarının yanı sıra Egzersiz Bağımlılığı Ölçeği (EBÖ), Teruel Ortoreksiya Nervoza Ölçeği (TOÖ) ve Spor Besin Takviyeleri İnanç Ölçeği (STİÖ) yer almıştır. Bulgular: Katılımcıların neredeyse tamamı (%99,6) egzersiz bağımlılığı açısından risk grubunda sınıflandırılmıştır. Ortalama EBÖ puanı 56,7±8,2; sağlıklı ortoreksiya puanı 13,8±5,6 (orta düzey) ve ortoreksiya nervoza puanı 6,7±4,9 (düşük düzey) olarak bulunmuştur. Katılımcıların %69.5’ü besin takviyesi kullandığını bildirmiştir. Ortalama STİÖ puanı 22,2±8,0 olup, bu değer spor takviyelerine yönelik orta düzeyde inanç olduğunu göstermektedir. EBÖ puanları ile sağlıklı ortoreksiya (SO) (r=0,433) ve ortoreksiya nervoza (ON) (r=0,451) arasında zayıf ancak istatistiksel olarak anlamlı pozitif korelasyon saptanmıştır (p<0,001). Çoklu doğrusal regresyon analizinde, besin takviyelerine yönelik inanç ve sosyodemografik değişkenler kontrol edildikten sonra da SO (β=0,22; p=0,003) ve ON’un (β=0,32; p<0,001) EBÖ puanlarını anlamlı düzeyde yordadığı belirlenmiştir. Model, egzersiz bağımlılığı puanlarındaki varyansın %25,3’ünü açıklamıştır. Sonuç: Bu sonuçlar, egzersiz bağımlılığının hem sağlıklı beslenmeye yönelik ilgi hem de ortoreksik eğilimlerle ilişkili olduğunu göstermektedir. STİÖ ve demografik değişkenler EBÖ puanlarını anlamlı düzeyde yordamasa da besin takviyesi kullanımının yüksek olması ve takviyelere yönelik inanç düzeyinin orta seviyede bulunması, güvenli takviye kullanımı konusunda yapılandırılmış eğitime duyulan ihtiyacın devam ettiğini düşündürmektedir. Bu doğrultuda, spor bilimleri programlarında okutulan beslenme derslerinin müfredatına sağlıklı yeme davranışları, diyet-egzersiz ilişkisi ve güvenli takviye kullanımı gibi konuların eklenmesi önerilmektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• egzersiz bağımlılığı
• Besin takviyeleri
• Ortoreksiya Nervoza

Kaynakça

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