# Exercise Enjoyment and Exercise Addiction Risk Among Turkish Adults: Associations and Subgroup Differences in a Cross-Sectional Survey

## TL;DR

This study explores how exercise enjoyment and addiction risk are related in Turkish adults, finding a weak inverse link and differences between subgroups.

## Contribution

The study provides new insights into the relationship between exercise enjoyment and addiction risk in a Turkish adult population.

## Key findings

- Enjoyment was weakly and inversely associated with exercise addiction risk.
- Women reported higher enjoyment and higher EAI scores than men.
- 13.8% of participants screened positive for elevated exercise addiction risk.

## Abstract

Background: Exercise enjoyment supports adherence, whereas elevated exercise addiction risk reflects potentially maladaptive persistence marked by rigidity and internal pressure. This study examined the association between enjoyment and exercise addiction risk in Turkish adults and explored variation across sociodemographic, lifestyle, and exercise-related characteristics. Methods: A total of 420 adults (45.0% women, 55.0% men; mean age = 25.68 years) completed an online survey including the Exercise Enjoyment Scale (EES) and the Exercise Addiction Inventory (EAI). Results: Enjoyment was weakly and inversely associated with exercise addiction risk (r = −0.18, p = 0.0002; 95% CI: −0.27 to −0.09). Women reported higher enjoyment and higher EAI scores than men. The proportion screening positive for elevated risk (EAI ≥ 24) was 13.8% (n = 58; 95% CI: 10.8–17.4%); subgroup comparisons were interpreted as exploratory (no multiplicity correction). Conclusions: Enjoyment tended to vary with participation patterns, whereas addiction risk tended to vary with training structure and motives; longitudinal studies are needed to clarify temporal ordering.