A Comparison of Self-Awareness and Knowledge of Orthorexia in General Public and Nutrition Students

Abstract

ObjectivesOrthorexia is characterized by a fixation on healthful eating that emphasizes specific qualities of foods. The study objective was to investigate knowledge and self-awareness of orthorexia in the general public and nutrition students before and after viewing an online educational module. MethodsDe-identified online surveys created in REDCap were shared with the general public via social media groups (Facebook and Reddit) and survey exchange sites; and with nutrition students through a convenience sample obtained through nutrition departments of two universities. An educational module with an orthorexia infographic and video included pre- and post-questionnaires to assess change in knowledge of orthorexia. A validated orthorexia questionnaire (ORTO-15) was used to evaluate orthorexia behavior in these populations. ResultsStudy participants who responded to the survey included 253 individuals from the general public and 77 nutrition students. Of the 253 general public respondents, 72 were from survey exchange groups on social media, 20 were from survey exchange websites and 150 were from motivational fitness groups on social media. fter reviewing the educational module, the general public’s orthorexia knowledge scores increased from a mean of 3.4 (±1.0) to 4.9 (±1.3) out of a possible score of 7; whereas the nutrition students’ orthorexia knowledge scores only increased from 5.2 (±1.3) to 5.7 (±0.9) pre- to post-educational module. This interaction was significant (P < 0.0001). 97.7% of the general public and 93.2% of nutrition students showed an ORTO-15 score of 40 or lower from a possible total score of 60. The majority of the nutrition students (40.3%, n = 29) chose “often” whereas about 50% (n = 109) of the general public chose “sometimes” and 33% (n = 73) chose “often”, when asked about feeling guilty when transgressing on the ORTO-15 questionnaires. ConclusionsBoth populations showed an increase in knowledge about orthorexia after viewing the educational module. The evidence from this study indicates knowledge of orthorexia is low in these populations and education about the condition may be warranted for the general public and students who are in nutrition-related fields. In both populations, ORTO-15 scores showed existence of some degree of orthorexia-related behavior. Funding SourcesNo funding was used for this research.