The assessment of orthorexia nervosa among 1899 Polish adolescents using the ORTO-15 questionnaire.

OBJECTIVE: Orthorexia nervosa (ON) is considered an eating disorder (ED), with an excessive fixation on the consumption of healthy food and an obsession with its biological purity. Since the adolescent period poses a risk for EDs, the aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of ON in a population of Polish urban adolescents and some possible contributory factors. METHOD: 1899 high school students, 992 girls and 907 boys aged 15-21 years were studied. Demographic and clinical data were collected using a validated questionnaire including information on preferred living choices, in the context of pro- and antihealth activities. The Polish version of the ORTO-15 questionnaire was used. RESULTS: The mean value of the ORTO-15 was 39.2 ± 3.6 points, with no sex difference. The main factors connected with orthorexia, according to the 'Orthorexia 33.35 and 40' definitions were excess weight, sporting activities, out-of-school activities, smoking status, working parents and a high family income. CONCLUSIONS: This study, of a large number of adolescents, showed a prevalence of ON similar to that recorded in adult populations. Since factors predisposing to ON in adolescence differ from those for other eating disorders, it is not clear whether ON should be treated as a new form of ED.

[Validation of ORTO-15 Questionnaire in the group of urban youth aged 15-21]. / Walidacja kwestionariusza ORTO-15 w grupie mlodziezy miejskiej w wieku 15-21 lat.

AIM: The aim of the study was the validation and adaptation of the ORTO-15 Questionnaire in the group of the Polish schoolgirls and schoolboys. METHODS: The study included 399 participants (15-21 years old), all of them high school students in the city of Sosnowiec. The ORTO-15 is a tool created in Italy by L.M. Donini, comprising of 15 items describing intensification of orthorexia risk (population diagnosis). The validation procedure incorporated three basic methods to be applied in the reliability analysis - the comparison of double tests with the same method, the statistical properties analysis of test items as well as analysis of the relation of test items with the general test result. Moreover, the compliance of the ORTO-15 Questionnaire results with other questionnaire focused on eating habits (EAT-26) was studied. RESULTS: The reliability analysis of the ORTO-15 Questionnaire based on repeatability of the responses presents a very good (kappa: 0.81 - 1.00 for 5 items) and a good repeatability (kappa: 0.61 - 0.80 for 10 items). The reliability analysis based on the value of the Cronbach's α reached a satisfactory level (0.7 - 0.9). A full agreement of in the occurrence of orthorexia risk and the risk of eating disorders concerned 47.2% (Kappa = 0.04; 95% CI: 0.004 - 0.09) for the Ortho-40 and 88.2% (Kappa = 0.32; 95% CI: 0.17 - 0.47) for the Ortho-35. CONCLUSIONS: The ORTO-15 questionnaire is a reliable tool to identify the risk of ON in population studies in the group of urban youth aged 15 - 21.

[Orthorexia--a new diagnosis?]. / Ortoreksja--nowe rozpoznanie?

INTRODUCTION: Orthorexia nervosa (Greek: ortho--correct, right; orexis--appetite, desire) is a term introduced in 1997 by the American doctor Steven Bratman and is defined as a pathological fixation with righteous and healthy eating. Clear classification criteria oforthorexia have not been developed yet and there has been an on-going discussion whether it belongs to the group of eating disorders or the obsessive-compulsive disorders. AIM: The aim of this paper is to summarise briefly the current state of knowledge regarding orthorexia and to point out the difficulties connected with an attempt to classify it in a given disorders group as well as with the attempt to establish the classification criteria. DISCUSSION: Despite the fact that the problem of orthorexia has been signalled in the Polish media, it has neither been discussed nor published in the Polish medical literature yet. Orthorexia starts when a diet becomes an escape from life--everyday activities are dominated by planning, buying and preparing "proper" meals. Each departure from this regime causes anxiety and guilty conscience and leads to even further tightening of the dietary habits. According to Bratmann, orthorexia is connected with an illusory feeling of safety (preventing from diseases), the urge to exercise a full control over one's life (elimination of the unpredictable), "a hidden conformism" (eating philosophy helps in a subconscious way to achieve a culturally accepted model of a beautiful body), a search for spirituality and identity, and a desire for self-deprivation. CONCLUSIONS: The arguments presented in this paper substantiate the expediency of implementing the epidemiological studies which will show the scale of the problem, its prevalence and conditionings. Data obtained in this way should facilitate the verification of classification criteria and will also help to formulate the diagnostic criteria of orthorexia.

[Friends of virtual Ana--the phenomenon of pro-anorexia in the Internet]. / Przyjaciólki wirtualnej any - zjawisko proanoreksji w sieci internetowej.

Anorexia nervosa is regarded as a serious mental disturbance, where denial of illness and strong resistance to treatment are symptomatic features. In many cases it leads to extreme devastation or even to death. Effective treatment of this disorder still remains a challenge for clinicians and researchers. Since the 90-ies of the previous century there has been a rise in the free access to the internet. At present over a billion people all over the world use it. What young people look for in the internet is not only information, but also friends, support or entertainment. For last a few years, a phenomenon of pro-anorexia has been present in the Internet, connecting people who claim that anorexia is a "lifestyle" rather than a deadly illness, which should be treat. They communicate with each other through the internet blogs, forums and popular social networking sites, creating a virtual community. The pro-ana community is made up of adolescent girls and young women who decide on dieting. Pro-anorexia is still a poorly known phenomenon, especially in Poland. It seems to be very important to take a note on this phenomenon in the face of an increasing prevalence of eating disorders in the last years.