Prevalence of Orthorexia Nervosa among Medical Students in Chennai

Abstract

Background: Orthorexia nervosa (ON) is characterised by an obsession with healthy eating, which may lead to severe physical, psychological and social disorders. It is particularly important to study this problem in order to improve early detection and treatment. Aim and Objective: The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of Orthorexia Nervosa in among medical students in Chennai. Materials and Methods: Cross-sectional study done at a medical college, among undergraduate medical students. After institutional ethical committee approval, the study was conducted on 306 students. Sociodemographic details were collected and ORTHO-15 questionnaire was used to estimate the prevalence of Orthorexia Nervosa. Data was entered in excel and analysed using SPSS version 22. Chi-square test and Multiple logistic regression were used for data analysis. p- value < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: The prevalence of Orthorexia Nervosa among undergraduate medical students was 69.93% (95% CI 64.46 to 75.02%). No significant association was found between age group, gender, BMI category, place of stay and Orthorexia Nervosa. Conclusion: Orthorexia Nervosa tendency is common among medical students. Better awareness of healthy eating will help prevention of the problem.