THE EVALUATION OF STUDENTS WHO STUDY IN A UNIVERSITY IN TERMS OF ORTHOREXIA NEVROSA

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate the orthorexia nervosa status of students studying at a university. The cross-sectional method was used in the study, which was in the quantitative research design and the relational survey model. The population of the research of students studying at a public university in the Eastern Anatolia Region in the 2019-2020 academic year (14,888 students). The formula "Selecting a Sample from a Known Universe" was used to calculate the sample size and the minimum sample size was calculated as 995 individuals. The questionnaire form used in the research consists of two parts. The first part of the form is aimed at determining the descriptive features and health histories of the participants, and the questions here constitute the independent variables of the research. The ORTO-15 questionnaire and the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-40) in the second part of the questionnaire formed the dependent variables of the study. When evaluated according to the cut-off score of the ORTO-15 questionnaire, it was determined that 7.9% of the participants them (79 individuals) were orthorexic. In the current study, it was seen that the frequency of orthorexia in young university students was not to be underestimated. The rate of those with orthorexic symptoms was 7.9%.Students should be provided with training on Orthorexia Nervosa, and their individual awareness should be increased.