Orthorexia nervosa: is it a risk for female students studying nutrition and dietetics?

Abstract

Objective: Studies indicate that orthorexia nervosa is more frequently seen in medical students, physicians, dietitians, people with anxiety, obsessive compulsive people, and people who are concerned with their body image. The aim of this study is to evaluate healthy eating obsessions, eating attitudes, and eating behaviors of female students studying nutrition and dietetics. Method: This study was conducted on 106 randomly selected female students of Near East University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics. A questionnaire was used to obtain general information on the subjects, and Diet Quality Index-International (DQI-I), Orthorexia Nervosa Evaluation Scale (ORTO-11), Eating Attitude Test (EAT-40), and Maudsley Obsessive Compulsive Inventory (MOCI) were applied and some anthropometric measurements were taken to evaluate the subjects' obsession with healthy eating, eating attitudes, and eating behaviors. Findings: Mean ORTO-11 score of the subjects was found to be 30.7±4.45. As eating behavior disorder risk increases, orthorexia nervosa and obsessive compulsive disorder risks decreases with statistical significance (p<0.05). In addition, the increase of orthorexia nervosa risk is related with increased obsessive compulsive behavior risk and decreased eating behavior disorder risk (p<0.01). Results: Obsession with healthy eating, eating attitudes, and eating behaviors of female students studying nutrition and dietetics can be affected by their education.

Keywords

• Orthorexia nervosa, nutrition, female student, ORTO-11, EAT-40, MOCI

Ortoreksiya nervosa: beslenme ve diyetetik bölümü kız öğrencileri için bir risk mi?

Abstract

Amaç: Yapılan çalışma sonuçlarına göre tıp fakültesi öğrencileri, hekimler, diyetisyenler, anksiyetesi olan bireyler, obsesif kompulsif bireyler ve beden imajına aşırı önem veren bireylerde ortoreksiya nervosa belirtilerine daha sık rastlanmaktadır. Bu araştırmada da beslenme ve diyetetik bölümünde eğitim gören kız öğrencilerin sağlıklı beslenme takıntıları ile yeme tutum ve davranışlarının değerlendirilmesi amaçlanmıştır. Yöntem: Bu çalışma, Yakın Doğu Üniversitesi, Sağlık Bilimleri Fakültesi, Beslenme ve Diyetetik Bölümü'ne kayıtlı rastgele seçilmiş 106 kız öğrenci ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. Bireylerin genel özellikleri için ilgili anket formu, sağlıklı beslenme takıntıları ile yeme tutum ve davranışları için Diyet Kalite İndeksi-Uluslararası, Ortoreksiya Nervoza Değerlendirme Ölçeği (ORTO-11), Yeme Tutum Testi-40 (YTT-40), Maudsley Obsesif Kompulsif Soru Listesi (MOKSL) uygulanmış ve bazı antropometrik ölçümleri alınmıştır. Bulgular: Bireylerin ORTO-11 puan ortalaması 30.7±4.45 olarak belirlenmiştir. Yeme davranış bozukluğu riski arttıkça ortoreksiya nervoza ile obsesif kompulsif davranış riski istatistiksel yönden anlamlı olarak azalmaktadır (p<0.05). Ayrıca ortoreksiya nervosa riskindeki artış obsesif kompulsif davranış riskindeki artış ve yeme davranış bozukluğu riskindeki azalış ile ilişkilidir (p<0.01). Sonuçlar: Beslenme ve diyetetik bölümü kız öğrencilerinin sağlıklı beslenme ile yeme tutum ve davranışları aldıkları eğitimden etkilenebilmektedir.

Keywords

• Ortoreksiya nervosa, beslenme, kız

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