Orthorexic eating behavior and body dissatisfaction in a sample of young females

PURPOSE: To analyze body dissatisfaction in relation to orthorexic eating behavior in a sample of young females to further investigate characteristic features of orthorexic eating behavior and its association with other eating disorders. METHODS: N = 197 young females (age: M = 29.59, SD = 10.85 years) completed an online survey with the following questionnaires: the Düsseldorf Orthorexia Scale to measure orthorexic eating behavior, the Eating Disorder Inventory-2 (EDI-2), measuring psychopathological aspects of disordered eating behavior, the Dresden Body Image Questionnaire (DKB-35) to measure five components of body image, and the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ), measuring body dissatisfaction. RESULTS: In the total sample, Pearson correlations revealed that orthorexic eating behavior was positively associated with drive for thinness and body dissatisfaction. An independent samples t-Test revealed that females with elevated levels of orthorexic eating behavior (n = 35) displayed higher levels of drive for thinness and body dissatisfaction and lower levels of self-acceptance in comparison to a randomized sample from the remaining females with low levels of orthorexic eating behavior (n = 35). According to a multiple regression analysis, drive for thinness and body dissatisfaction measured by the BSQ served as positive predictors for orthorexic eating behavior, whereas bulimia and body dissatisfaction measured by the EDI-2 served as negative predictors. CONCLUSIONS: Results reveal that orthorexic eating behavior is more closely related to psychopathological aspects of other eating disorders than previously assumed. Body dissatisfaction as another major feature of orthorexia nervosa should be taken into account in future studies. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III, case–control analytic study.