Research Information System
PERSPECTIVES IN PSYCHIATRIC CARE, vol.9498030, no.., pp.1-9, 2025 (SCI-Expanded)
Aim: Tis study aimed to investigate the relationships between orthorexia nervosa (ON) and vocational education, gender,BMI, body perception, and self-esteem in university students. Method: Te study was conducted on a total of 500 volunteerstudents studying in health and nonhealth departments of a state university. Te Ortho-15 test, Maudsley Obsessi-ve–Compulsive Symptom Test (MOCI), Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory, and Body Perception Scale (BPS) were ad-ministered to the students along with a questionnaire to determine their demographic characteristics.Results: According to the Ortho-15 test score, it was determined that medical school students had the lowest scores, that is, thehighest orthorexic tendencies. However, when the distribution of the groups in terms of ON prevalence according to the Ortho-15cutof score < 35 was examined, the frequency of orthorexic tendency was found to be higher in students studying in nonhealthfaculties (38.4% vs. 61.6%; p < 0.05). Te Ortho-15 test score of females (38.60 ± 3.87) was higher than that of males (37.53 ± 3.21)(p < 0.001). When those with and without ON tendency were compared in terms of test scores, a signifcant diference was foundonly in terms of MOCI scores. Obsessive symptom scores of those with orthorexic tendency (15.41 ± 6.63) were higher than thosewithout ON (13.59 ± 6.40) (p < 0.05).Tere was no signifcant diference between the faculties in terms of CSEI scores. Fur-thermore, in our study, the decrease in MOCI and Ortho-15 scores as BMI increases indicates that obsessive symptoms decreasebut orthorexic tendency increases as BMI increases.Conclusion: It was thought that these results distinguish ON from other eating disorders and that ON may be more suitable forthe Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder classifcation