Orthorexic Tendency in Polish Students: Exploring Association with Dietary Patterns, Body Satisfaction and Weight

Abstract

Body dissatisfaction is central to clinically diagnosed eating disorders (ED) and seems to be important in causing other non-clinical disorders, including orthorexia nervosa (ON). It can also affect eating behaviors. The aim of this study was to assess the associations of ON tendency with dietary patterns (DPs) and body satisfaction. The data were collected in 2017 through questionnaire survey among 1120 students of health-oriented and other academic programs from seven universities in Poland. Principal components analysis (PCA) was conducted to derive DPs and body satisfaction factors. Six DPs, such as, ‘High-sugar products & snacks’, ‘Fresh products & nuts’, ‘Fatty products & dressings’, ‘Oils & potatoes’, ‘Dairy products & whole-meal bread’, ‘Meat’, and two body satisfaction factors, such as, ‘Bottom body & weight’, and ‘Upper body’ were identified. ON tendency was measured using ORTO-15 questionnaire with both cut-offs, i.e., 35 and 40. Logistic regression analysis was used to verify associations between ON tendency, body satisfaction factors, and DPs. More students of health related majors were characterized by ON tendency in comparison to students of other majors (35.9 vs. 37.2; p < 0.001). More women were dissatisfied with ‘Bottom body & weight compared to men (<0.001). The higher the body mass index (BMI), the more people were dissatisfied with ‘Bottom body & weight’ (p < 0.001). More students with ON tendency were satisfied with their ‘Upper body’ than those without ON tendency, but there were no differences in ON tendency in regard to ‘Bottom body & weight’ satisfaction. ON tendency was associated with more frequent consumption of vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, and less frequent consumption of products high in sugar, snacks, fatty products and dressings. Using cut-off at 35 in ORTO-15 seems to be more appropriate than cut-off at 40 to identify external variables describing ON. Future research on orthorexia nervosa should use other research tools than ORTO-15 to better identify individuals with ON and to confirm our findings.

Orthorexic Tendency and Eating Disorders Symptoms in Polish Students: Examining Differences in Eating Behaviors

“…It can be assumed that due to the contrasting eating habits of people showing only ON tendency ("ON and without ED") and only ED symptoms ("ED and without ON"), no differences were found in the eating habits of people within the group "ON and ED." In addition, these people were characterized by less frequent consumption of sugar-rich and refined products, which was confirmed by the results of the previous studies on ON [10,26,27] and both AN subtypes-restrictive and binge eating or purging [58,59]. At the same time, people who showed both ON tendency and ED symptoms ("ON and AN") often consumed meat and meat products (upper tertile of DP).…”

“…However, ON does not include the primary symptoms of AN or BN, such as the fear of being obese, an excessive preoccupation with one's body, and a distorted perception of body image [9]. Moreover, a previous study reported that individuals with ON tendency expressed greater satisfaction with their upper body [10].…”

“…The researchers first assessed ON tendency in groups following special diets, especially a vegetarian or vegan diet [22][23][24][25], and evaluated the frequency of food intake [26]. To date, other eating habits or dietary patterns (DPs) of people showing ON tendency have only been rarely studied [10,27]. Moreover, knowledge about the differences in the eating behaviors of people with ON and ED is insufficient to confirm both the similarities and differences between these two conditions.…”

Traits of Orthorexia Nervosa and the Determinants of These Behaviors in Elite Athletes

“…Utility of the ORTO-15 that was used in presented study has been widely discussed, and some authors claim that this tool measures only healthy eating, and not pathologically healthful eating [19,44]. However, despite many flaws, the ORTO-15 is still the most commonly used psychometric tool [45][46][47][48][49]. There are a few diagnostic tools that are used to assess orthorexia nervosa in general population (ex.…”

Attitudes towards ‘superfood’ depending on the risk of orthorexia among students in Poland and The Netherlands

“…It is an eating disorder that might be hazardous to the health and life of the individual concerned, because it can lead to malnutrition, metabolic acidosis, severe nutrients deficiencies or other health disorders in the human body [1]. To assess the risk of orthorexia in an individual, the ORTO-15 questionnaire based on the BOT (Bratman Orthorexia Test) is typically used [2]. This disorder can affect people with features such as perfectionism, obsessive compulsive diet, or other eating disorders in the patient's history.…”