Personality Traits and Exercise Addiction in Ultra Endurance Athletes

Assessment of Personality Traits Associated With Exercise Addiction in Ultra Endurance Athletes

Ultra endurance sports (events exceeding 6 hours) is becoming increasingly popular and Exercise Addiction (EA) is frequent in this type of sports, which are characterized by very high training volume. However, little is known about the personality traits of athletes who are more likely to develop EA. This study aims to assess the personality traits associated with EA in ultra endurance athletes. We designed a cross sectional study. Participants have to fill a web-based questionnaire including the Big Five Personality Test for assessing the personality traits and the Exercise Dependence Scale-Revised (EDS-R) for assessing EA. Also they have to fill a personal question about demographics (age, gender, work), sport practice and eating habits. A minimum sample size of 300 participants is expected. Statistical analyses will test the association between personality traits and the presence (or absence) of EA according to the EDS-R. Secondary analysis will test the association between the type of sport (running, cycling, triathlon, swimming), the volume of sport practice and the presence of eating disorders and EA.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Exercise Addiction
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Web based survey

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 300

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Joffrey Drigny, MD MSc; Phone Number: +33231064533; Email: j.drigny@gmail.com
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Marion Remilly, MD cand.; Phone Number: +33231064533; Email: remilly-m@chu-caen.fr

Study Locations

• France
  • Caen, France, 14000
    • Recruiting
    • CHU Caen Normandie
    • Contact: Joffrey Drigny, MD MSC; Phone Number: +33231064533; Email: drigny-j@chu-caen.fr

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

All ultra endurance athletes who volunteered to participate in the survey

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• athletes participating in ultra endurance sport events (exceeding 6 hours) in running/trail, cycling, swimming, Nordic skiing
• individuals who volunteered to participate in the study
• individuals with access to internet
• Individuals reading French

Exclusion Criteria:

• individuals not meeting the inclusion criterias
• individuals who did not participate in an ultra endurance event in the previous year

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
Ultra endurance athletes; Individual participating in ultra endurance sports (events exceeding 6 hours) including running, cycling, triathlon, swimming and Nordic skiing. Participants are above 18 years of age and volunteer to participate in this web-based survey.	Other: Web based survey; Web-based survey on exercise addiction and personality traits

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Exercise Addiction	The Exercise Dependence Scale-revised (EDS-R, french version) 21 items, 7 subscales, scores from 1-6 for each item and scores above 15 by subscale defining EA.	One single evaluation at a single point in time through study completion, an average of 3 months
Personality traits	The French version of the Big Five Inventory is a 45-item inventory which measures the five broader domains of personality.	One single evaluation at a single point in time through study completion, an average of 3 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Demographics	Age, gender and type of work	One single evaluation at a single point in time through study completion, an average of 3 months
Sport Practice (sport)	The type of sport practiced	One single evaluation at a single point in time through study completion, an average of 3 months
Sport Practice (volume)	The volume of training (number of hours weekly)	One single evaluation at a single point in time through study completion, an average of 3 months
Sport Practice (number of events)	The average number of ultra endurance events per year	One single evaluation at a single point in time through study completion, an average of 3 months
Sport Practice (fitness certificate)	The type of care practitioner consulted for fitness certificate	One single evaluation at a single point in time through study completion, an average of 3 months
Eating habits (dietary supplements)	The type of dietary supplement used	One single evaluation at a single point in time through study completion, an average of 3 months
Eating habits (SCOFF questionnaire)	The two last questions of the SCOFF questionnaire (Fat, Food)	One single evaluation at a single point in time through study completion, an average of 3 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University Hospital, Caen
• Collaborators: INSERM UMR U1075 Comète GIP Cyceron, unicaen, Caen Normandie

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 13, 2022
• Primary Completion (Anticipated): June 15, 2022
• Study Completion (Anticipated): July 15, 2022

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 16, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 21, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): April 27, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 27, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 21, 2022
• Last Verified: April 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Compulsive Behavior; Impulsive Behavior; Behavior, Addictive
• Other Study ID Numbers: UltrAddict 3363

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No