Impact of gender, body mass index and educational background on orthorexic tendency in undergraduate students of North India

Mohita Singh; Jyoti Sethi; Vishal Goel; Navneet K. Kaushik

doi:10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20243714

Authors

Mohita Singh Department of Physiology, Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College, Karnal, Haryana, India https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2393-0724
Jyoti Sethi Department of Physiology, Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College, Karnal, Haryana, India
Vishal Goel Department of Physiology, Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College, Karnal, Haryana, India https://orcid.org/0009-0002-6072-7482
Navneet K. Kaushik Department of Physiology, Shaheed Hasan Khan Mewati Government Medical College, Nuh, Haryana, India https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1180-3058

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20243714

Keywords:

Eating disorder, Orthorexia nervosa, North India, Socio-demographic, Student population

Abstract

Background: Orthorexia nervosa (ON) is a recently identified eating behaviour disorder characterized by “obsession for healthy eating”. Such behaviour may negatively impact one’s physical and psychosocial health. The present study was designed to evaluate the impact of gender, body mass index (BMI) and educational background on orthorexic tendency of undergraduate students in North India.

Methods: This analytical, cross-sectional study was carried out at Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College (KCGMC), Karnal, Haryana, India on young, healthy students enrolled in different undergraduate courses (medicine, science and arts) at colleges in Karnal district. Risk of orthorexia was assessed using ORTO-15 questionnaire. Subjects who scored below 40 were classified as having ON. Logistic regression analysis was done to examine the relationship between ON and socio-demographic variables.

Results: Study sample comprising of 448 students, of which 273 (61%) were females and 175 (39%) males, had an average age of 19.25 years. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that BMI had a significant impact on orthorexic tendency (p=0.024). Students within the normal BMI range were twice (OR=2.0; 95% CI: 1.24-3.24) more likely to have ON than their underweight counterparts. However, no significant relationship was found between gender and ON. With respect to educational background, medical students differed significantly (p=0.001) in their ORTO-15 scores to science students. Arts and science students scores were comparable.

Conclusions: This study suggests that socio-demographic variables might influence orthorexic tendency in student populations. Rising prevalence of this eating disorder necessitates more research to gain a better understanding of its magnitude and etiology.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

References

Bratman S, Knight D. Health food junkies: Overcoming the obsession with healthful eating. New York: Broadway Books; 2001.

Arusoğlu G, Kabakçi E, Köksal G, Merdol TK. Orthorexia nervosa and adaptation of ORTO-11 into Turkish. Turk J Psych. 2008;19(3):283-91.

Koven N, Abry A. The clinical basis of orthorexia nervosa: emerging perspectives. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2015;11:385-94.

Koven NS, Senbonmatsu R. A neuropsychological evaluation of orthorexia nervosa. Open J Psych. 2013;3:214-22.

Dunn TM, Bratman S. Orthorexia nervosa: A review of the literature and proposed diagnostic criteria. Eat Behav. 2016;21:11-7.

Bosi AT, Çamur D, Güler C. Prevalence of orthorexia nervosa in resident medical doctors in the faculty of medicine (Ankara, Turkey). Appetite 2007;49(3):661-6.

Fidan T, Ertekin V, Işikay S, Kirpinar I. Prevalence of orthorexia among medical students in Erzurum, Turkey. Compr Psych. 2010;51(1):49-54.

Oberle CD, Samaghabadi RO, Hughes EM. Orthorexia nervosa: Assessment and correlates with gender, BMI, and personality. Appetite 2017;108:303-10.

Karadag MG, Elibol E, Yildiran H, Akbulut G, Celik MG, Degirmenci M, et al. Evaluation of the relationship between obesity with eating attitudes and orthorexic behavior in healthy adults. GMJ. 2016;27(3):107-114.

Ünalan D, Öztop BD, Elmali F, Öztürk A, Konak D, Pirlak B, et al. The relationship between the healthy lifestyle behaviors and eating behaviors of a group of health high school students. J Inonu Univ Med Faculty. 2009;16(2):75-81.

Gezer C, Kabaran S. The risk of orthorexia nervosa for female students studying nutrition and dietetics. J Health Sci. 2013;4(1):14-22.

Arganini A, Saba A, Comitato R, Virgili F, Turrini A. 2012. Gender differences in food choice and dietary intake in modern Western societies. In: Maddock J, editor. Public health - Social and Behavioral health;. 2012:3-102.

Karakus B, Hidiroglu S, Keskin N, Karavus M. Orthorexia nervosa tendency among students of the department of nutrition and dietetics at a university in Istanbul. North Clin Istanb. 2017;4(2):117-23.

Aksoydan E, Camci N. Prevalence of orthorexia nervosa among Turkish performance artists. Eat Weight Disord. 2009;14:33-7.

Bundros J, Clifford D, Silliman K, Morris-Neyman M. Prevalence of Orthorexia nervosa among college students based on Bratman's test and associated tendencies. Appetite. 2016;101:86-94.

Donini LM, Marsili D, Graziani MP, Imbriale M, Cannella C. Orthorexia nervosa: A preliminary study with a proposal for diagnosis and an attempt to measure the dimension of the phenomenon. Eat Weight Disord. 2004;9(2):151-7.

Varga M, Thege BK, Dukay-Szabó S, Túry F, Van Furth EF. When eating healthy is not healthy: Orthorexia nervosa and its measurement with the ORTO-15 in Hungary. BMC Psych. 2014;14:59.

Stochel M, Hyrnik J, Jelonek I, Zejda J, Janas-Kozik M. Orthorexia among Polish urban youth. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2013;23(2):S527-8.

Asil E, Sürücüoğlu MS. Orthorexia nervosa in Turkish dietitians. Ecol Food Nutr. 2015;54(4):303-13.

Varga M, Máté G. Eating and body image related problems in orthorexia nervosa. The 17th International Conference on Eating Disorders, Congress Centrum Alpbach, Tirol, Austria; Abstract book October 22-24, 2009:39.

Segura-Garcia C, Papaianni MC, Caglioti F, Procopio L, Nistico CG, Bombardiere L. Orthorexia nervosa: A frequent eating disordered behavior in athletes. Eat Weight Disord. 2012;17(4):226-33.

Malmborg J, Bremander A, Olsson MC, Bergman S. Health status, physical activity, and orthorexia nervosa: a comparison between exercise science students and business students. Appetite. 2017;109:137-43.

Abdullah MA, Hourani HM, Alkhatib B, Buthaina. Prevalence of Orthorexia Nervosa Among Nutrition Students and Nutritionists in Jordan: Pilot Study. Clin Nutr ESPEN. 2020;40:144-8.

Soylar P, Kadioğlu BU, Uncu F. The risk of orthorexia in Turkish adults and relation with body mass index. Acad J Sci Res. 2017;5(12):751-5.

Ramacciotti CE, Perrone P, Coli E, Burgalassi A, Conversano C, Massimetti G, et al. Orthorexia nervosa in the general population: A preliminary screening using a self-administered questionnaire (ORTO 15). Eat Weight Disord. 2011;16(2):e127-30.