The role of obsessive-compulsive symptoms and gender in the frequency of orthorexia nervosa in medical students: A web-based, cross-sectional study

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to determine medical students' tendency to ON and investigate the role of obsessive-compulsive symptoms and gender on these attitudes. Methods: This descriptive study was conducted with 822 medical students. The data were collected via an online survey. The sociodemographic information form, ORTO-11 scale and Maudsley Obsessive Compulsive Symptom (MOCS) Inventory were used as data collection forms. Results: The average age of the students was 20.57±2,071 (18-32), and 50.7% (n=417) were female. Orthorexia tendency was detected 19%. A significant relationship was found between the ORTO-11 and MOCS scores of the students in the opposite direction (P=0.000). There was no significant difference between ORTO-11 and MOCS scores according to gender and years of training. Participants who did not eat at night, did not consume packaged food, looked at the expiration date and content of the food, and had regular meals had significantly lower ORTO-11 scores. There was no significant relationship between the mean body mass index of the students and their ORTO-11 and MOCS scores (P>0.05 for all). Conclusion: The study results show that the tendency to ON is high in medical students. ON is more common in students with obsessive-compulsive symptoms, and interventions to correct obsessive-compulsive symptoms should also be planned in the fight against ON. Level of evidence: Level V, cross-sectional, descriptive study