University courses, eating problems and muscle dysmorphia: are there any associations?
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND: Orthorexia and muscle dysmorphia are disorders affecting above all young adults whose prevalence and social impact are still unclear. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of the traits of orthorexia and muscle dysmorphia among freshmen attending university courses focused on nutrition (Dietetics) and body care (Exercise and Sport Sciences). Students of Biology were considered as a control group. The prevalence of eating disorder (ED) traits were also evaluated. METHODS: All participants (n = 440; n = 53 Dietetics school, n = 200 Exercise and Sport Sciences school, n = 187 the Biology school) completed the following questionnaires: ORTO-15, Muscle-Dysmorphic-Disorder-Inventory, and Eating Attitudes Test-26. RESULTS: The prevalence of the traits of EDs, orthorexia, and muscle dysmorphia was 9.1%, 25.9%, and 5.9%, respectively. When compared to other students, those attending the Dietetics school showed a 2-fold higher risk of EDs and those from the Exercise and Sport Sciences school a 10-fold higher risk of muscle dysmorphia. The prevalence of orthorexia traits was high in all schools (35.9%, 22.5%, 26.5% in Dietetics, Biology, and Exercise and Sport Sciences schools, respectively). Overall, individuals with traits of any of these disorders were more frequently on diet or on supplement use. In a logistic regression model, attending the Dietetics school (OR = 2.71; 95% CI 1.14-6.48) was significantly associated with the ED traits, but not with the orthorexia traits (OR = 1.75; 95% CI 0.93-3.29), while attending the Exercise and Sport Sciences school was significantly associated with the muscle dysmorphia traits (OR = 5.15; 95% CI 1.44-18.4). Finally, when evaluating the relationships among the types of study programs as dependent variables and traits of these disturbances, the associations between the traits of ED (OR = 3.35; 95% CI 1.38-8.13) and matriculation at the school of Dietetics, and between the traits of muscle dysmorphia (OR = 4.32; 95% CI 1.16-16.1) and the choice of the Exercise and Sport Sciences school were confirmed. CONCLUSIONS: The choice of the university courses might be influenced by pre-existing disorders in eating behaviors, which were relatively frequent in the considered sample.
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High orthorexia nervosa prevalence has been found in populations who take an active interest in their health and body.
“Higher prevalence has been found in yoga instructors [30], dieticians, [31], nutrition students [32], and exercise science students [33] compared to the general population.”
From Instagram use is linked to increased symptoms of orthorexia nervosa. (2017) · cites this paper as [32]
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- Authors
- Bo, S., Zoccali, R., Ponzo, V., Soldati, L., De Carli, L., Benso, A., Fea, E., Rainoldi, A., Durazzo, M., Fassino, S., & Abbate-Daga, G.
- Affiliations
- University of Turin (IT)
- University of Milan (IT)
- Corresponding author
- Bo, Simona
- Venue
- Journal of Translational Medicine
- Published
- 2014-08-07
- Volume
- 12
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 221-221
- ISSN
- 1479-5876 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC4256707
- OpenAlex
- W2100470923
- Cited by
- 152
- References
- 47
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 21 · 2020: 16 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 17 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 5
- FWCI
- 9.84
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- Journal of Translational Medicine (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Archivio Istituzionale della Ricerca (Universita Degli Studi Di Milano) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Institutional Research Information System University of Turin (University of Turin) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Eating Disorders and Behaviors
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Body Image and Dysmorphia Studies
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Nutrition, Health and Food Behavior
- Keywords
- orthorexia nervosa, muscle dysmorphia, university students, dietetics students, prevalence, ORTO-15, Eating Attitudes Test-26, dieting, dietary supplements, eating disorder risk factors, body image concern, young adults
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Feeding and Eating Disorders, Body Image, Choice Behavior, Educational Status, Female, Humans, Male, Surveys and Questionnaires, Risk Factors, Students, Universities, Prevalence, Muscle, Skeletal, Young Adult, Body Dysmorphic Disorders
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