Assessing the Prevalence of Orthorexia Nervosa in a Sample of University Students Using Two Different Self-Report Measures.

María Laura Parra-Fernández,María Dolores Onieva-Zafra,Ana Abreu-Sánchez,Juan José Fernández-Muñoz,Elia Fernández-Martínez

doi:10.3390/ijerph16142459

Abstract

In recent decades, orthorexia nervosa (ON) has increased presence in society. It is related with beliefs and attitudes towards eating and is characterized by an obsessive behavior toward heathy eating. The prevalence of ON has been reported by numerous researchers, with rates varying considerably according to the tool used to evaluate the same parameter. The aim of this study was to compare the prevalence of ON in a single population using two different questionnaires. The test for the diagnosis of orthorexia (ORTO-11-ES) assessment tool for orthorexia nervosa and the Düsseldorfer Ortorexie Skala (DOS-ES), constitute brief self-report assessment tools which measure the risk of suffering ON. A sample of 492 students from the University of Castilla la Mancha (Spain) participated in this study, of whom 43.1% were male and 56.9% were female. The findings show that, according to the DOS-ES, only 10.5% of students displayed ON whereas, with the ORTO-11-ES, the prevalence of ON increased to 25.2%. The tendency towards orthorexic behavior is more closely associated with the female gender. The Body Mass Index (BMI) had no influence on the tendency for ON. This study provides valuable information on the usefulness of both questionnaires and the possible limitations associated with the use of these tools in the general population.

Highlights

Orthorexia nervosa (ON) is a behavior where affected individuals demonstrate an obsession for healthy eating, causing or potentiating damage to the individual on a physical, psychological, and social level
The results showed that only 10.5% were participants with orthorexia nervosa (ON) while 89.4% displayed no prevalence of ON
On the other hand, according to the ORTO, 25.2% of the sample showed indications of orthorexia nervosa, with the remaining 74.8% showing no sign of orthorexia nervosa

Summary

Introduction

Orthorexia nervosa (ON) is a behavior where affected individuals demonstrate an obsession for healthy eating, causing or potentiating damage to the individual on a physical, psychological, and social level. Individuals with ON experience an obsessive–compulsive behavior in the selection, planning, purchase, preparation, and consumption of healthy food, associating healthy properties to certain foods, which may have preventive or healing properties for certain illnesses [1]. The scientific community has not yet agreed on definitive diagnostic criteria, some authors have attempted a clarification. Notwithstanding, no consensus has been reached, to date, regarding an absolute definition of ON [1,2,3]. While certain authors have suggested classifying ON as a different and independent disorder, others have related it with eating and obsessive–compulsive disorders, whereas others point to similarities with autism spectrum disorders [4,5,6]. Current research in the field of ON has mainly focused on researching

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