Investigation Of The Relationship Between Orthorexia Tendencies And Nutritional Status Of Individuals In The Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study is to examine the orthorexia tendencies of individuals and especially the nutritional status of orthorexic people in the Covid 19 pandemic. Methods: 1129 people participated in the study conducted through Google Forms in June 2020, 297 people were excluded due to being under the age of 18, filling in the form and/or scale incompletely/incorrectly, and 832 participants were included in the study. The ORTO-11 Test and the developed questionnaire were used to collect the data. The variables of the research are the participants' gender, body weight, nutritional status, orthorexic tendencies, exercise status, occupation and social media use. The data of the study were evaluated using the SPSS program. Results: The risk of orthorexia was found to be higher in Instagram users, dietitians, and those who did not exercise during the pandemic. There was no statistically significant difference between body weight before and during the pandemic. Increase in consumption of meat and meat products, legumes; decrease in consumption of bread, rice, pasta, sugary drinks and sweets was mostly in orthorexic individuals. Considering all participants, highest consumption increase in vegetables and fruits, sweets, nuts, tea and coffee; consumption decreased mostly in bread, rice, pasta, sugary drinks and chips. Conclusion: Despite the studies that found an increase in body weight in the pandemic, no significant change was found in body weight according to the results of this study. In addition, it was observed that the participants, especially orthorexic individuals, preferred healthier foods during the pandemic.