Observational studyNutrients2025
Assessing Orthorexia Nervosa Among University Students: An Observational Study Analyzing Prevalence and Psychological Characteristics.
Observational study in Nutrients, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Food Neophobia and Orthorexia Nervosa Tendency in Medical Students: Cross-Sectional Analysis of Associations with Perceived Stress.Journal of community health · 2026Article
- Association Between Physical Activity Level, Quality of Life Determinants, Internet Use, and Orthorexia Among Sport Science Students Living in Naples: An Observational Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Orthorexia Profiles in Athletes: A Multidimensional Analysis Using the Eating Habits Questionnaire (EHQ) and the Teruel Orthorexia Scale (TOS).Nutrients · 2025Article
- The relationship between healthy eating obsessions, clinical eating disorder, and health anxiety: the dark side of the pursuit of healthy eating.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
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3 authors.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND/
objectivesThe prevalence of orthorexia nervosa (ON) is increasing over time. Additionally, specific social categories seem to be more affected. In the literature, the prevalence of university students suffering from ON is unclear, ranging from 7% to 83%. Nonetheless, ON shares pathological traits with both eating and obsessive-compulsive disorders, making its etiology and therapeutic perspectives complex. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of ON and explore its psychological characteristics in a sample of university students.
methodsA total of 205 students from the University of Parma were consecutively recruited using a convenience sampling procedure. Participants completed the Orthorexia Nervosa Questionnaire-15 (ORTO-15) to assess ON, the Eating Disorder Inventory-3 (EDI-3) to investigate eating behavior, the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) to detect psychological symptoms, and the P Stress Questionnaire (PSQ) to describe stress-related lifestyle. Based on the scores obtained on the ORTO-15, a group of orthorexic students (ORTO-15 score ≤ 35) was compared with a group of non-orthorexic students (ORTO-15 score > 35).
resultsThe prevalence of university students with ON was nearly 42% (specifically, 41.95%). Furthermore, orthorexic students reported significantly higher levels of emotional dysregulation, perfectionism, and asceticism on the EDI-3 as well as affective problems and overcontrol in general. Furthermore, although there were no differences between the groups regarding psychological symptoms, an increase in sense of responsibility, vigor, and hyperactivity, as well as decreased free time on the PSQ, characterized the orthorexic student group.
conclusionsThe results support that orthorexia nervosa emerged as a concerning phenomenon among university students, with increasing evidence pointing to its psychological correlates. Nonetheless, the fact that ON shares psychological characteristics with eating disorders highlights the clinical importance of implementing multidimensional assessments and multidisciplinary therapeutic approaches for individuals presenting with orthorexic-type eating behavior disorders.
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