Preliminary screening for orthorexia nervosa in undergraduate student population of north India using ORTO-15 questionnaire

Abstract

Orthorexia is a term used for “obsession for healthy and proper nutrition”. ON is a recently identified disorder and prevalence studies are mainly limited to Eurasian and Scandanavian countries. There is a paucity of literature currently available for Asian population and more specifically for the Indian population. Therefore, the present study was designed to estimate the prevalence of Orthorexia Nervosa in Indian population. To estimate the prevalence of ON in young North Indian population and to highlight its characteristics. The study population consisted of 448 young students (males=173, females=275). The ORTO-15 questionnaire developed by Donini et al. was used to determine the prevalence. Subjects who scored below 40 were classified as having ON. : Mean score of the participants in the ORTO-15 was using a 40 point threshold. A total of three fourth of the young students in the study group exhibited orthorexic tendency. High prevalence of ON in young students necessitates that Orthorexia Nervosa trends in general population be assessed in Indian subcontinent for better understanding of eating disorders and its interplay with socio-cultural diversities.