title: The prevalence of compulsive eating and exercise among college students: an exploratory study.
abstract: Eating disturbances continue to grow among college students, and researchers have begun to investigate factors that may lead to abnormal eating behaviors in this population. Recent research has also suggested that excessive exercise can become a compulsive behavior that may affect psychological health. The aim of this exploratory study was to evaluate the relationships between both compulsive eating and exercise, and demographic and clinical variables in a college population. Participants were 589 undergraduates (mean age 20 years) recruited during a mental health screening at two different campuses. Participants completed a screening package of measures including a questionnaire about socio-demographic data, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), the Consumptive Habits Questionnaire (CHQ), the Modified Overt Aggression Scale-Self-rated version (MOAS), and the Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire-Short version (QLESQ). A prevalence rate of 7.2% was found for compulsive eating and 18.1% for compulsive exercise, as measured by the CHQ. Only 11 participants (1.9%) reported both compulsive eating and exercise. There was no significant relationship between compulsive eating and compulsive exercise. The results suggest that college students may represent a group at high risk of developing abnormal eating behaviors and compulsive exercise.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy. jenny.guidi@studio.unibo.it
authors.forename: Jenny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guidi
authors.forename: Maribeth
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pender
authors.forename: Steven D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Hollon
authors.forename: Sidney
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zisook
authors.forename: Faye H
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Schwartz
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pedrelli
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Farabaugh
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fava
authors.forename: Timothy J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Petersen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology; D003192:Compulsive Behavior / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D004435:Eating / Q000523:psychology*; D015444:Exercise / Q000523:psychology*; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult