Abstract

BackgroundOrthorexia nervosa (ON) is characterized by an excessive, obsessive concern with healthy eating generating psychological complications and even malnutrition at a caloric and protein level. Current evidence suggests that people with greater food knowledge are the most likely to be affected, placing nutrition students as a populational risk group. Since there are no nationwide studies dealing with orthorexia nervosa in this risk group, the present pilot study intends to identify risk factors for orthorexia nervosa in a sample of Nutrition and Dietetics students in Chile.MethodA descriptive cross-sectional pilot study was done on 90 Nutrition and Dietetics students from a Chilean university, representing 70% of its population. The ORTHO-11-ES instrument was applied to determine ON risk, along with consulting about attitudinal, physical-clinical and social variables. Statistical tests were performed in GraphPad PRISM 8.0®, applying probability ratios and personal correlation, between the sociodemographic variables and the risk of orthorexia nervosa. This study was approved by the university Ethics Committee based on the Helsinki Declaration.Results23.3% of the studied population was at risk of suffering ON. Associated variables were being in the second year of their major (OR 2.22), coming from a charter school (OR 3.00) and cohabitation being limited to ≤ 1 person (OR 2.47). Particularly, declared physical activity limits are associated to the risk of suffering ON (Sedentary OR 2.42, Heavy OR 3.53), as well as time spent on the social network Instagram (< 1 h OR 2.77, > 3 h OR 1.80).ConclusionsThere is an ON risk prevalence of 23.3% in the present pilot sample under study, indicating that years of study, cohabitation, secondary educational establishment, physical activity and Instagram use constitute associated factors for the studied condition. Some results vary from international evidence, describing a dual nature in the variables for Instagram time and declared physical activity for ON risk. This study needs replication in more representative samples and longitudinal character with control groups which can confirm the studied elements as ON risk factors.Plain English summaryOrthorexia nervosa (ON) is an expression created to indicate a possible new eating disorder characterized by excessive and obsessive preoccupation with healthy eating. Some of its most distinctive traits include marked anxiety over food, exaggerated fear over the appearance of some diseases and shame about physical appearance. This ultimately impacts food choice, planning, acquisition, preparation and consumption, creating psychological complications along with some associated with malnutrition. Considering that Nutrition students are an at-risk group, the present pilot study evaluated its prevalence and associated factors in a specific sample in Chile. Conditions associated with the risk of orthorexia nervosa identified in the present study include: number of hours spent using Instagram, limited cohabitation, extreme physical activity, and number of years in the major. These results should be taken cautiously, with their association confirmed in follow-up studies.

Highlights

  • Orthorexia nervosa (ON), first described by Steven Bratman in 1997, is defined as a possible new eating disorder characterized by excessive, obsessive worry about healthy eating [1] there are no formal diagnostic criteria for Orthorexia Nervosa, several screening tools have been developed to study its clinical characteristics with greater precision

  • Some results vary from international evidence, describing a dual nature in the vari‐ ables for Instagram time and declared physical activity for ON risk

  • Some of its most distinctive traits include marked anxiety over food, exaggerated fear over the appearance of some diseases and shame about physi‐ cal appearance. This impacts food choice, planning, acquisition, preparation and consumption, creating psychological complications along with some associated with malnutrition

Read more

Summary

Introduction

Orthorexia nervosa (ON), first described by Steven Bratman in 1997, is defined as a possible new eating disorder characterized by excessive, obsessive worry about healthy eating [1] there are no formal diagnostic criteria for Orthorexia Nervosa, several screening tools have been developed to study its clinical characteristics with greater precision. Among its proposed diagnostic criteria are a strong anxiety about affirmative and restrictive dietary practices to aspire to optimal health, accompanied by exaggerated fear over the appearance of diseases and shame about personal physical condition [2] This mental condition becomes complicated when dietary practices include total restriction of culinary ingredients or even entire food groups, along with fasting, which over time can become increasingly prolonged. It affects food choice, planning, acquisition, preparation and consumption (Table 1), generating both psychological and physical complications, associated with malnutrition at the calorie, protein and micronutrient levels and causing irreversible health damage, as occurs with other eating disorders including Bulimia and Anorexia Nervosa [3, 4]. Since there are no nationwide studies dealing with orthorexia nervosa in this risk group, the present pilot study intends to identify risk factors for orthorexia nervosa in a sample of Nutrition and Dietetics students in Chile

Methods
Results
Discussion
Conclusion
Full Text
Published version (Free)

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call