Dataset Information

Orthorexia nervosa and dieting in a non-clinical sample: a prospective study.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

Orthorexia Nervosa (ON) is characterised by excessive attention to a dietary regimen perceived as healthy. A critical factor in the distinction between ON and other eating disorders (EDs) is the dichotomy of quality-versus-quantity of food intake. We investigated whether specific types of diet or dieting frequency are associated with orthorexic features, explored the overlap between ON and EDs symptoms, and examined which constructs are predictive of ON after 6 months.

Methods

A total of 1075 students (75.1% female, mean age 20.9) completed a set of questionnaires assessing Orthorexia, Eating Disorders, Obsessions and Compulsions, Anxiety and Depression; 358 individuals (79.9 female, mean age 20.9) agreed to participate in the study and completed the same questionnaires after 6 months. Different regression models were defined to investigate our hypothesis.

Results

Findings suggest that ON is associated with the number and type of diets followed over a lifetime. Moreover, participants with EDs, body dissatisfaction, or a dysfunctional idea of thinness are more likely to report a greater degree of ON features. After 6 months, the best predictors of ON characteristics are the same ON characteristics assessed at the first administration, with a significant role in the ideal of thinness.

Conclusions

ON is more frequent in individuals with a previous diagnosis of EDs and in individuals who followed a restrictive diet or a vegan/vegetarian one; the number of lifetime diets, beliefs, and behaviors related to the ideals of thinness or body dissatisfaction is common features of ON. Moreover, considering that having ON features in the past is the best ON predictor in the present, we can presume that ON is a construct stable over time.

Level of evidence

Level IV: Evidence obtained from multiple time series analysis such as case studies. (NB: Dramatic results in uncontrolled trials might also be regarded as this type of evidence).

SUBMITTER: Novara C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8739027 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:BackgroundIt remains unclear among clinicians and researchers whether orthorexia nervosa (ON) is a part of the obsessive-compulsive disorder spectrum or eating disorders. Disgust seems to be a shared psychopathological factor in these clinical presentations, indicating a potentially crucial role in ON. On the other hand, numerous psychometric tools have been developed to evaluate ON. The Dusseldorf Orthorexia Scale (DOS) was recently validated in an Italian sample. However, the study's primary limitation was that the scale was only administered to undergraduate university students. This study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties (including factorial structure, reliability, and measurement invariance conditional on sex) of the Italian version of the DOS (I-DOS) on a sample from the general population. Additionally, the study sought to determine the nomological validity of the I-DOS by examining its relationship with disgust sensitivity.MethodsA sample of 521 participants took part in this study and completed a battery that assessed ON and disgust sensitivity. To assess the I-DOS structure, reliability, and measurement invariance we respectively conducted confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), computed McDonalds's omega, and performed hierarchical series of multigroup CFAs. Then, we tested the relationship between ON and disgust sensitivity.ResultsCFA confirmed the unifactorial model of I-DOS and it respected the configural, metric, and strict invariance while a partial scalar invariance was achieved. It also showed good reliability with an omega of 0.87. In addition, we found a positive relationship between ON and disgust sensitivity, thus confirming the nomological validity of I-DOS.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that the Italian version of the Dusseldorf orthorexia scale (I-DOS) exhibits strong psychometric properties and can be an effective instrument for assessing ON in a general population sample. Notably, the most significant and innovative outcome was the positive correlation between ON and disgust sensitivity. As disgust has been linked to other clinical presentations, this preliminary result could serve as a foundation for future research exploring this phenomenon in greater detail.

Project description:Introduction: Orthorexia nervosa (ON) is a condition that is characterized by a pathological obsession with eating foods one considers healthy and has recently been suggested as a new possible diagnosis. However, there is limited published research on health professionals' recognition, ideas and opinions regarding the diagnosis and classification of ON. Purpose: The aim of this mixed-methods study was to gain insight into the perspectives of clinically active health professionals on ON, and into their opinions on if and how the disorder should be classified. Results: Psychologists, psychiatrists, dietitians and physiotherapists in the Netherlands (n = 160) participated by responding to a self-administered questionnaire. Most health professionals (78%) reported that they thought that ON should have its own diagnosis. This opinion was more common in physical health professionals than in mental health professionals. A majority (74%) agreed that ON fits within the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) category Eating and Feeding Disorders. Interviews with 15 mental health professionals were analyzed using code frequencies and continuous comparisons. Mental health professionals reported believing that ON is prevalent in the general population and that a separate diagnosis would have both advantages and disadvantages for health professionals and patients. Interview participants described the typical ON patient as being young, female, and highly educated; characteristics that overlap with typical anorexia nervosa and obsessive compulsive disorder cases. Conclusion: The results suggest that some health professionals from a heterogenous sample in the Netherlands think ON should have a separate diagnosis in the DSM, however, the study needs to be replicated to allow for further generalization. Methodological design of this study may be utilized in future research with similar aims. The findings can serve as a foundation for investigation of individuals' experiences of distress caused by ON, and further refinement of the diagnostic criteria.