Abstract

Aim: The main aim of the study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors of orthorexia nervosa based on a review of research papers published in PubMed, Wiley Online Library and Springer Link databases.
Material and method: From the available studies, 56 articles were selected for final analysis, containing research papers that used diagnostic questionnaires of orthorexia and analyzed potential risk factors for its occurrence.
Results: According to research data from 3,1 to 41,7 %, on average, 20.6% of subjects were found to be at risk of orthorexia nervosa, with the ORTO 15 questionnaire considering a score of 35 as the cutoff point. The highest score of risk was observed in the group of subjects with eating disorders of the nature of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, those who follow diets, those who are dissatisfied with the appearance of their bodies, those who engage in intense physical exercise, those with maladaptive personality traits, those who use immature defense mechanisms, and those who function poorly socially. Additional risk factors appeared to be health-related studies-especially dietetics, occupational stress (especially medics and musicians performing in orchestras).
Conclusion: It should be noted that in the ORTO 15 questionnaires, the cut-off point assumed by the authors of the tool was 40 and its use significantly overestimated the results, so the researchers’ postulation to adopt a score of 35 in clinical practice, as indicating the risk of orthorexia, seems correct. In research opinion for more effective diagnosis, it would be advisable to adopt a cut-off point for orthorexia in the ORTO-15 at the level of 35 points, as postulated by some authors. The 40-point threshold is associated with considerable overdiagnosis of the phenomenon. The analysis as a whole points to the validity of placing ON in the eating disorder group, perhaps as a specific variant of anorexia nervosa. The study showed no correlation of ON with OCD. Whilst this might suggest a substantial crossover between symptoms of ON and eating pathology more generally.

Keywords:Orthorexia; Eating disorders; Prevalence; Risk factors