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An unhealthy health behavior: analysis of orthorexic tendencies among Hungarian gym attendees

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Eating and Weight Disorders - Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Aim

In the present study, we aim to assess the prevalence and certain psychological and other correlates of orthorexic tendencies: health and exercise behaviors and demographic variables among gym attendees in Hungary.

Methods

Altogether, responses of 207 gym attendees who filled out an online questionnaire (03/2017–10/2017) were analyzed. The mean age was 31.9 years; most were female and college educated, and about half resided in the capital city. Frequencies and means were calculated for the sample; and univariate linear regression and ANOVA were carried out. Finally, multivariate linear regression was used to assess the relationship between the dependent variable (Orto-11-Hu) and the independent variables (Eating Disorder Inventory, Maudsley Obsessional-Compulsive Inventory, health and exercise habits, and demographics).

Results

The mean score for the Orto-11-Hu was 27.7. In the multivariate analysis, two eating disorder characteristics (drive for thinness and interpersonal distrust), age, exercising more than once a day, and yoga practice were significantly associated with higher orthorexic tendencies. There was a lack of correlation between any obsessive–compulsive traits.

Conclusions

Our data suggest and overlap between certain eating disorder traits, and a link between ON and frequent exercising and younger age. Further research is needed to investigate whether these correlates are found not only in a specific fitness-oriented population, but also in the general population.

Level of evidence

Level V, descriptive cross-sectional study.                                 

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Acknowledgements

Dr. Edit Czeglédi for the consultations she provided when analyzing the data in SPSS and Dr. Ferenc Túry for his mentorship.

Funding

Nothing to declare.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Behavioural Sciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary

    Enikő Bóna & Zsuzsanna Szél

  2. Doctoral School of Psychology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary

    Dániel Kiss

  3. Institute of psychology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary

    Dániel Kiss & V. Anna Gyarmathy

  4. John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Enikő Bóna, Zsuzsanna Szél, Dániel Kiss & V. Anna Gyarmathy

Authors
  1. Enikő Bóna
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  2. Zsuzsanna Szél
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  3. Dániel Kiss
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  4. V. Anna Gyarmathy
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Contributions

EB recruited the participants and collected their answers; analyzed and interpreted the literature and data; and wrote the manuscript. DK and SzZs helped with data analysis and interpretation and provided comments to the manuscript. AGy designed the study’s statistical model, supervised and contributed to the writing of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Enikő Bóna.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

Ethics approval

This study was approved by the Hungarian Medical Research Council in January 24, 2017 with the reference number of 3563-1.

Informed consent

All participants were informed at the first page of the questionnaire that the survey is voluntary and anonymous.

Additional information

The article is part of the Topical Collection on Orthorexia Nervosa.

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Bóna, E., Szél, Z., Kiss, D. et al. An unhealthy health behavior: analysis of orthorexic tendencies among Hungarian gym attendees. Eat Weight Disord 24, 13–20 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-018-0592-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-018-0592-0

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