An Evaluation of Orthorexia Nervosa Tendencies in Relation to Nutritional Knowledge and Anthropometric Measurements in Teachers
Yıl 2025,
Cilt: 5 Sayı: 3, 166 - 174, 24.12.2025
Mutlu Tuçe Ülker
,
Elif Nur Özen
,
Bilge Tekin Elkaan
,
Hatice Sude Uğur
,
Atakan Yıldırım
Öz
Orthorexia nervosa is characterized by an obsession with healthy eating and an excessive focus on strict food quality standards, food preparation, and dietary norms. Individuals' efforts to access safe foods for health reasons can lead to the development of eating disorders, particularly orthorexia nervosa. This study aimed to assess teachers' tendencies toward orthorexia nervosa and its impact on their nutrition knowledge, food preferences, and anthropometric measurements. The study was conducted in a cross-sectional design with 200 teachers from various branches from Çengelköy Final Schools in Istanbul between January and May 2024. The Teruel Orthorexia Scale (TOS), which evaluates orthorexia tendencies, and the Nutrition Knowledge Level Scale for Adults (YETBID), which measures nutrition knowledge, were administered face-to-face by the researchers. Additionally, anthropometric measurements, including height, body weight, and body mass index (BMI), were recorded. The results indicated that female teachers exhibited higher tendencies toward orthorexia; however, no significant relationship was found between these tendencies and anthropometric measurements. Teachers' nutrition knowledge levels were deemed moderate, but no significant association was observed between orthorexia tendencies and nutrition knowledge. These findings suggest that female teachers may be more susceptible to orthorexia, and factors beyond nutrition knowledge and anthropometric measurements may play a role in this condition. Further research is needed to investigate additional variables that may influence orthorexia tendencies within this population.
Etik Beyan
Ethics committee approval for this study, Istinye University Social and Human Sciences Research Ethics Committee. Retrieved from the Ethics Committee (Date: 25.12.2023 and Decision No: 2023/11, 120). It is declared that in the preparation process of this study, scientific and ethical principles, research principles in the Declaration of Helsinki were adhered to, and all the studies used were cited in the bibliography.
Destekleyen Kurum
TÜBİTAK
Proje Numarası
1919B012326232
Teşekkür
The research was supported by TÜBİTAK 2209-A project, Project no: 1919B012326232.
Kaynakça
-
Agopyan A, Kenger EB, Kermen S, Ulker MT, Uzsoy MA, Yetgin MK. The relationship between orthorexia nervosa and body composition in female students of the nutrition and dietetics department. Eat Weight Disord. 2019;24(2):257–66.
-
American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5-TR. American Psychiatric Association Publishing; 2022. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787
-
Syurina EV, Bood ZM, Ryman FVM, Muftugil-Yalcin S. Cultural phenomena believed to be associated with orthorexia nervosa: opinion study in Dutch health professionals. Front Psychol. 2018;9:1419.
-
López-Gil JF, Tárraga-López PJ, Hershey MS, et al. Overall proportion of orthorexia nervosa symptoms: a systematic review and meta-analysis including 30,476 individuals from 18 countries. J Glob Health. 2023;13:04087.
-
Niedzielski A, Kaźmierczak-Wojtaś N. Prevalence of orthorexia nervosa and its diagnostic tools: a literature review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(10):5488.
-
Gortat M, Samardakiewicz M, Perzyński A. Orthorexia nervosa: a distorted approach to healthy eating. Psychiatr Pol. 2021;55(2):421–33.
-
Styk W, Gortat M, Samardakiewicz-Kirol E, Zmorzynski S, Samardakiewicz M. Intra- and interpersonal dimensions of orthorexia: preliminary development and validation of an intra- and interpersonal effects scale for orthorexia. Nutrients. 2024;16(7):1010.
-
Horovitz O, Argyrides M. Orthorexia and orthorexia nervosa: a comprehensive examination of prevalence, risk factors, diagnosis, and treatment. Nutrients. 2023;15(17):3851.
-
Erkin Ö, Göl I. Determination of health status perception and orthorexia nervosa tendencies of Turkish yoga practitioners: a cross-sectional descriptive study. Prog Nutr. 2019;21(1):105–12.
-
Rudolph S. The connection between exercise addiction and orthorexia nervosa in German fitness sports. Eat Weight Disord. 2018;23(5):581–6.
-
Szöllősi B, Prievara DK. Health overdone: the risk of orthorexia nervosa among dancers. Egészségfejlesztés Folyóirat. 2021;62(2):27–34.
-
Bert F, Gualano MR, Voglino G, Rossello P, Perret JP, Siliquini R. Orthorexia nervosa: a cross-sectional study among athletes competing in endurance sports in Northern Italy. PLoS One. 2019;14(8):e0221399.
-
Erkin Ö, Kocaçal E. Health perceptions and orthorexia nervosa tendencies among academics. Perspect Psychiatr Care. 2022;58(4):2782–90.
-
Yeşil E, Turhan B, Tatan D, Şarahman C, Saka M. The effect of gender on orthorexia nervosa tendency in adults. J Ankara Health Sci. 2018;7(1):1–9.
-
Durmaz C. An approach to orthorexia nervosa with unclassified eating behavior disorder. Aydin Tıp Fakültesi Klinik Derg. 2018;6(1):95–102.
-
International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry. ISAK Home. https://www.isak.global/Home/Index. Accessed May 6, 2022.
-
World Health Organization. (2008). Waist circumference and waist-hip ratio: Report of a WHO expert consultation. Geneva: WHO
-
Batmaz H. Yetişkinler için beslenme bilgi düzeyi ölçeği geliştirilmesi ve geçerlik-güvenirlik çalışması. Yüksek Lisans Tezi, Marmara Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri Enstitüsü, 2018.
-
Barrada JR, Roncero M. Bidimensional structure of the orthorexia: Development and initial validation
of a new instrument. Anales de Psicología, 2018;34(2):283-91.
-
Asarkaya B, Arcan K. Adaptation, validity, and reliability study of the Teruel Orthorexia Scale (TOS). Klin Psikol Derg. 2021;5(2):113–27.
-
McComb SE, Mills JS. Orthorexia nervosa: a review of psychosocial risk factors. Appetite. 2019;140:50–75.
-
Strahler J. Sex differences in orthorexic eating behaviors: A systematic review and meta-analytical
integration. Nutrition. 2019;67-68:110534
-
Busatta D, Cassioli E, Rossi E, Campanino C, Ricca V, Rotella F. Orthorexia among patients with eating disorders, student dietitians and general population: a pilot study. Eat Weight Disord. 2022;27(2):847–51.
-
Donini LM, Barrada JR, Barthels F, et al. A consensus document on definition and diagnostic criteria for
orthorexia nervosa. Eating and Weight Disord. EWD. 2022;27(8):3695–711.
-
López-Gil JF, Tárraga-López PJ, Soledad Hershey M, et al. Overall proportion of orthorexia nervosa
symptoms: A systematic review and meta-analysis including 30 476 individuals from 18 countries.
Journal of Global Health. 2023;13:04087.
-
Yeşildemir Ö. Evaluation of the relationship between sustainable and healthy eating behaviors with e-healthy diet literacy and nutrition knowledge level in adults. CBU-SBED. 2023;10(3):250–60.
-
İnbaşi EG, Yildiz NN, Çelik A, et al. Determination of nutrition knowledge level and exercise beliefs in academicians. Gevher Nesibe J Med Health Sci. 2023;8(1):43–50.
-
Karakuş EK, Çiçek G. Study on nutrition habits and nutritional knowledge levels of physical education teachers. J Sports Perform Res. 2023;14(4):99–114.
-
Metos JM, Sarnoff K, Jordan KC. Teachers’ perceived and desired roles in nutrition education. J Sch Health. 2019;89(1):68–76.
-
Domínguez-Rodríguez A, Cebolla A, Navarro J, Baños R. Nutritional education knowledge of teachers and nutritionists in four European countries. Nutr Hosp. 2023;40(1):136–43.
-
Erem S, Bektaş Z. Is nutritional literacy level in young adults associated with quality of life? Food Health. 2023;9(2):129–38.
-
Keskin Y, Akar Y, Erdem Ö, Erol S. The relationship between body mass index with food preference and nutrition knowledge of adults: cross-sectional study. DEUHFED. 2022;15(2):149–62.
Öğretmenlerde Ortoreksiya Nervoza Eğilimlerinin Beslenme Bilgisi ve Antropometrik Ölçümlerle İlişkisinin Değerlendirilmesi
Yıl 2025,
Cilt: 5 Sayı: 3, 166 - 174, 24.12.2025
Mutlu Tuçe Ülker
,
Elif Nur Özen
,
Bilge Tekin Elkaan
,
Hatice Sude Uğur
,
Atakan Yıldırım
Öz
Ortoreksiya nervoza, sağlıklı beslenmeye takıntı ve katı gıda kalite standartları, besin hazırlığı ve diyet normlarına aşırı odaklanma olarak tanımlanmaktadır. Bireylerin sağlıkları için güvenli besinlere ulaşma çabaları, özellikle ortoreksiya nervoza gibi yeme bozukluklarının gelişmesine yol açabilmektedir. Bu çalışmanın amacı, öğretmenlerin ortoreksiya nervoza eğilimlerini belirlemek ve bunun beslenme bilgisi düzeyleri, besin tercihleri ve antropometrik ölçümler üzerindeki etkisini değerlendirmektir. Çalışma, 2024 yılının Ocak-Mayıs ayları arasında İstanbul’daki Çengelköy Final Okulları’ndan çeşitli branşlardan 200 öğretmen ile kesitsel bir tasarımda yürütülmüştür. Ortoreksiya eğilimini değerlendiren Teruel Ortoreksiya Ölçeği (TOS) ve beslenme bilgisini ölçen Yetişkinler İçin Beslenme Bilgi Düzeyi Ölçeği (YETBID) araştırmacılar tarafından yüz yüze uygulanmış, ayrıca boy uzunluğu, vücut ağırlığı ve beden kütle indeksi (BKİ) gibi antropometrik ölçümler kaydedilmiştir. Sonuçlar, kadın öğretmenlerin ortoreksiya eğilimlerinin daha yüksek olduğunu, ancak antropometrik ölçümlerle anlamlı bir ilişki bulunmadığını göstermiştir. Öğretmenlerin beslenme bilgi düzeylerinin orta düzeyde olduğu belirlenmiş, fakat ortoreksiya ile beslenme bilgisi arasında anlamlı bir ilişki gözlemlenmemiştir. Bu bulgular, kadın öğretmenlerin ortoreksiya konusunda daha duyarlı olabileceğini ve beslenme bilgisi ile antropometrik ölçümler dışında başka faktörlerin de bu duruma katkıda bulunabileceğini göstermektedir. Ortoreksiya eğilimlerini etkileyebilecek ek değişkenleri tespit etmek için daha fazla araştırmaya ihtiyaç vardır.
Etik Beyan
Bu çalışma için etik kurul onayı, İstinye Üniversitesi İnsan Araştırmaları Etik Kurulu’ndan alınmıştır (Tarih: 25.12.2023 ve Karar No: 2023/11, 120). Bu çalışmanın hazırlanma sürecinde bilimsel ve etik ilkelere, Helsinki Bildirgesi’ndeki araştırma ilkelerine bağlı kalınmış ve yararlanılan tüm çalışmalar kaynakçada belirtilmiştir.
Destekleyen Kurum
TÜBİTAK
Proje Numarası
1919B012326232
Teşekkür
Araştırma, TÜBİTAK 2209-A projesi (Proje No: 1919B012326232) tarafından desteklenmiştir.
Kaynakça
-
Agopyan A, Kenger EB, Kermen S, Ulker MT, Uzsoy MA, Yetgin MK. The relationship between orthorexia nervosa and body composition in female students of the nutrition and dietetics department. Eat Weight Disord. 2019;24(2):257–66.
-
American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5-TR. American Psychiatric Association Publishing; 2022. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787
-
Syurina EV, Bood ZM, Ryman FVM, Muftugil-Yalcin S. Cultural phenomena believed to be associated with orthorexia nervosa: opinion study in Dutch health professionals. Front Psychol. 2018;9:1419.
-
López-Gil JF, Tárraga-López PJ, Hershey MS, et al. Overall proportion of orthorexia nervosa symptoms: a systematic review and meta-analysis including 30,476 individuals from 18 countries. J Glob Health. 2023;13:04087.
-
Niedzielski A, Kaźmierczak-Wojtaś N. Prevalence of orthorexia nervosa and its diagnostic tools: a literature review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(10):5488.
-
Gortat M, Samardakiewicz M, Perzyński A. Orthorexia nervosa: a distorted approach to healthy eating. Psychiatr Pol. 2021;55(2):421–33.
-
Styk W, Gortat M, Samardakiewicz-Kirol E, Zmorzynski S, Samardakiewicz M. Intra- and interpersonal dimensions of orthorexia: preliminary development and validation of an intra- and interpersonal effects scale for orthorexia. Nutrients. 2024;16(7):1010.
-
Horovitz O, Argyrides M. Orthorexia and orthorexia nervosa: a comprehensive examination of prevalence, risk factors, diagnosis, and treatment. Nutrients. 2023;15(17):3851.
-
Erkin Ö, Göl I. Determination of health status perception and orthorexia nervosa tendencies of Turkish yoga practitioners: a cross-sectional descriptive study. Prog Nutr. 2019;21(1):105–12.
-
Rudolph S. The connection between exercise addiction and orthorexia nervosa in German fitness sports. Eat Weight Disord. 2018;23(5):581–6.
-
Szöllősi B, Prievara DK. Health overdone: the risk of orthorexia nervosa among dancers. Egészségfejlesztés Folyóirat. 2021;62(2):27–34.
-
Bert F, Gualano MR, Voglino G, Rossello P, Perret JP, Siliquini R. Orthorexia nervosa: a cross-sectional study among athletes competing in endurance sports in Northern Italy. PLoS One. 2019;14(8):e0221399.
-
Erkin Ö, Kocaçal E. Health perceptions and orthorexia nervosa tendencies among academics. Perspect Psychiatr Care. 2022;58(4):2782–90.
-
Yeşil E, Turhan B, Tatan D, Şarahman C, Saka M. The effect of gender on orthorexia nervosa tendency in adults. J Ankara Health Sci. 2018;7(1):1–9.
-
Durmaz C. An approach to orthorexia nervosa with unclassified eating behavior disorder. Aydin Tıp Fakültesi Klinik Derg. 2018;6(1):95–102.
-
International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry. ISAK Home. https://www.isak.global/Home/Index. Accessed May 6, 2022.
-
World Health Organization. (2008). Waist circumference and waist-hip ratio: Report of a WHO expert consultation. Geneva: WHO
-
Batmaz H. Yetişkinler için beslenme bilgi düzeyi ölçeği geliştirilmesi ve geçerlik-güvenirlik çalışması. Yüksek Lisans Tezi, Marmara Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri Enstitüsü, 2018.
-
Barrada JR, Roncero M. Bidimensional structure of the orthorexia: Development and initial validation
of a new instrument. Anales de Psicología, 2018;34(2):283-91.
-
Asarkaya B, Arcan K. Adaptation, validity, and reliability study of the Teruel Orthorexia Scale (TOS). Klin Psikol Derg. 2021;5(2):113–27.
-
McComb SE, Mills JS. Orthorexia nervosa: a review of psychosocial risk factors. Appetite. 2019;140:50–75.
-
Strahler J. Sex differences in orthorexic eating behaviors: A systematic review and meta-analytical
integration. Nutrition. 2019;67-68:110534
-
Busatta D, Cassioli E, Rossi E, Campanino C, Ricca V, Rotella F. Orthorexia among patients with eating disorders, student dietitians and general population: a pilot study. Eat Weight Disord. 2022;27(2):847–51.
-
Donini LM, Barrada JR, Barthels F, et al. A consensus document on definition and diagnostic criteria for
orthorexia nervosa. Eating and Weight Disord. EWD. 2022;27(8):3695–711.
-
López-Gil JF, Tárraga-López PJ, Soledad Hershey M, et al. Overall proportion of orthorexia nervosa
symptoms: A systematic review and meta-analysis including 30 476 individuals from 18 countries.
Journal of Global Health. 2023;13:04087.
-
Yeşildemir Ö. Evaluation of the relationship between sustainable and healthy eating behaviors with e-healthy diet literacy and nutrition knowledge level in adults. CBU-SBED. 2023;10(3):250–60.
-
İnbaşi EG, Yildiz NN, Çelik A, et al. Determination of nutrition knowledge level and exercise beliefs in academicians. Gevher Nesibe J Med Health Sci. 2023;8(1):43–50.
-
Karakuş EK, Çiçek G. Study on nutrition habits and nutritional knowledge levels of physical education teachers. J Sports Perform Res. 2023;14(4):99–114.
-
Metos JM, Sarnoff K, Jordan KC. Teachers’ perceived and desired roles in nutrition education. J Sch Health. 2019;89(1):68–76.
-
Domínguez-Rodríguez A, Cebolla A, Navarro J, Baños R. Nutritional education knowledge of teachers and nutritionists in four European countries. Nutr Hosp. 2023;40(1):136–43.
-
Erem S, Bektaş Z. Is nutritional literacy level in young adults associated with quality of life? Food Health. 2023;9(2):129–38.
-
Keskin Y, Akar Y, Erdem Ö, Erol S. The relationship between body mass index with food preference and nutrition knowledge of adults: cross-sectional study. DEUHFED. 2022;15(2):149–62.