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Problem gambling in the fitness world—a general population web survey

Håkansson, Anders LU ; Entezarjou, Artin LU orcid ; Kenttä, Göran ; Fernández-Aranda, Fernando ; Jiménez-Murcia, Susana and Gunnarsson, Björn LU (2020) In International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17(4).
Abstract

The world of sports has a complex association to problem gambling, and the sparse research examining problem gambling in athletes has suggested an increased prevalence and particularly high male predominance. The present study aimed to study frequency and correlates of problem gambling in populations with moderate to high involvement in fitness or physical exercise. This is a self-selective online survey focusing on addictive behaviors in physical exercise distributed by ‘fitness influencers’ on social media and other online fitness forums to their followers. Respondents were included if they reported exercise at least thrice weekly, were above 15 years of age, and provided informed consent (N = 3088). Problem gambling, measured with... (More)

The world of sports has a complex association to problem gambling, and the sparse research examining problem gambling in athletes has suggested an increased prevalence and particularly high male predominance. The present study aimed to study frequency and correlates of problem gambling in populations with moderate to high involvement in fitness or physical exercise. This is a self-selective online survey focusing on addictive behaviors in physical exercise distributed by ‘fitness influencers’ on social media and other online fitness forums to their followers. Respondents were included if they reported exercise at least thrice weekly, were above 15 years of age, and provided informed consent (N = 3088). Problem gambling, measured with the Lie/Bet, was studied in association with demographic data, substance use, and mental health variables. The occurrence of lifetime problem gambling was 8 percent (12 percent in men, one percent in women). In logistic regression, problem gambling was associated with male gender, younger age, risky alcohol drinking, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and less frequent exercise habits. In conclusion, in this self-recruited population with moderate to high fitness involvement, problem gambling was moderately elevated. As shown previously in elite athletes, the male predominance was larger than in the general population. The findings strengthen the link between problem gambling and the world of sports.

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author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Behavioral addiction, Gambling, Sports psychology
in
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
volume
17
issue
4
article number
1342
publisher
MDPI AG
external identifiers
  • scopus:85079844949
  • pmid:32093056
ISSN
1661-7827
DOI
10.3390/ijerph17041342
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
46d4c25c-e5bd-45c5-8cb3-b2c17e0dadfe
date added to LUP
2020-03-18 07:44:10
date last changed
2024-06-26 12:00:17
@article{46d4c25c-e5bd-45c5-8cb3-b2c17e0dadfe,
  abstract     = {{<p>The world of sports has a complex association to problem gambling, and the sparse research examining problem gambling in athletes has suggested an increased prevalence and particularly high male predominance. The present study aimed to study frequency and correlates of problem gambling in populations with moderate to high involvement in fitness or physical exercise. This is a self-selective online survey focusing on addictive behaviors in physical exercise distributed by ‘fitness influencers’ on social media and other online fitness forums to their followers. Respondents were included if they reported exercise at least thrice weekly, were above 15 years of age, and provided informed consent (N = 3088). Problem gambling, measured with the Lie/Bet, was studied in association with demographic data, substance use, and mental health variables. The occurrence of lifetime problem gambling was 8 percent (12 percent in men, one percent in women). In logistic regression, problem gambling was associated with male gender, younger age, risky alcohol drinking, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and less frequent exercise habits. In conclusion, in this self-recruited population with moderate to high fitness involvement, problem gambling was moderately elevated. As shown previously in elite athletes, the male predominance was larger than in the general population. The findings strengthen the link between problem gambling and the world of sports.</p>}},
  author       = {{Håkansson, Anders and Entezarjou, Artin and Kenttä, Göran and Fernández-Aranda, Fernando and Jiménez-Murcia, Susana and Gunnarsson, Björn}},
  issn         = {{1661-7827}},
  keywords     = {{Behavioral addiction; Gambling; Sports psychology}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{02}},
  number       = {{4}},
  publisher    = {{MDPI AG}},
  series       = {{International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health}},
  title        = {{Problem gambling in the fitness world—a general population web survey}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17041342}},
  doi          = {{10.3390/ijerph17041342}},
  volume       = {{17}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}