Effects of Disordered Eating Behavior and Diet Quality on Orthorexia Nervosa in Female Health Sciences Students

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the relationship between the tendency of orthorexia nervosa, eating behavior, and diet quality of  female university students studying in the faculty of health sciences.

Methods: Participants were 18-25 years old 254 female university students. The body weight, height, waist and hip circumferences were measurs according to techniques. Tendecy of orthorexia nervosa was assessed using Orthorexia Nervosa Risk Scale (ORTO-11), tendency of eating disorders was assesed using Eating Attitude Test (EAT)-26, diet quality was assessed using Diet Quality Index-International (DQI-I).

Results: Although the diet quality scores (52.3±8.31) of students were found to be respectively low, the tendency of orthorexia nervosa (83.4%) and eating disorders (31.5%) were considerably higher. The mean ORTO-11 score is higher for those with low diet quality compared to those who have high diet quality (p<.05). It has been determined that there is a negative weak relation between ORTO-11 and EAT-26, ORTO-11 and DQI-I (p<.001, p=.031, respectively). Orthorexia nervosa tendency was (p=.003) higher in those have higher eating disorders tendency.

Conclusions: To sum up, increased orthorexia nervosa tendency is related to increased eating disorders tendency and diet quality in female health sciences students. In order to obtain more conclusive results, a broad multi-centered study design with an extended sample size representing the general population and analyzing the effects of influential factors is suggested.