Evaluation of the relationship between orthorexia and healthy lifestyle behaviors, food choice and body image variables

Orthorexia nervosa is defined as an obsessive interest in healthy eating, whereas a more balanced and positive interest in healthy eating is referred to as healthy orthorexia. This study, it was aimed to examine the relationships of both dimensions of orthorexia with demographic variables which are thought to be related to orthorexic tendency, healthy lifestyle behaviours, food choice and body image, and to determine which variables predict the dimensions of healthy orthorexia and orthorexia nervosa. The sample of the study consisted of 346 participants between the ages of 18-65, who were literate, could be reached online and agreed to participate in the study. In the process of data collection, Demographic Information Form was used to determine the information such as gender, age, education level of the participants and the characteristics thought to be related to orthorexic tendency. For the evaluation of healthy orthorexia and orthorexia nervosa, the Teruel Orthorexia Scale (TOS) was used to measure both dimensions, the Healthy Lifestyle Behaviours Scale II (HLBSII) was used to evaluate healthy lifestyle behaviours, and the Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ) was used to determine food choice preferences. Body image was assessed with the Body Perception Scale (BPS). In this study, higher levels of healthy orthorexia were found in those who were in middle adulthood, exercised; higher levels of orthorexia nervosa were found in those who had not a family history of chronic diseases and those who dieted for weight loss; and higher levels of both healthy orthorexia and orthorexia nervosa were found in those who dieted. As a result of the analysis conducted on the prediction of healthy orthorexia and orthorexia nervosa, it was seen that the natural ingredients subdimension, healthy lifestyle behaviours, health, ethical concern, mood sub-dimensions and body image were included in the model predicting healthy orthorexia. The findings showed that the tendency to prefer natural ingredients, the adoption of healthy lifestyle behaviours, the importance given to the sub-dimension of health and ethical concern, and the positive body image strengthened the tendency towards healthy orthorexia. Increasing the importance given to the mood sub-dimension was found to decrease the tendency towards healthy orthorexia. In the model predicting orthorexia nervosa, healthy orthorexia, natural ingredients, weight control, ethical concern and familiarity sub-dimension were included. The findings showed that the increase in healthy orthorexia, the increase in the importance given to weight control, the increase in the importance of ethical concern and familiarity sub-dimensions increased the tendency to orthorexia nervosa. The increase in the natural ingredients sub-dimension was found to decrease the tendency towards orthorexia nervosa. The results revealed that healthy xvi orthorexia and orthorexia nervosa were predicted by different variables. The findings of this study have been discussed within the framework of existing literature.