Honors Theses

Advisor

Susan Davis

Department

Psychology

Publication Date

4-1-2022

Document Type

Honors Thesis

Abstract

The present study examined the rates of Orthorexia Nervosa (ON), a disordered eating pattern characterized by an unhealthy obsession with eating healthy foods, among college athletes and non-athletes at a medium-size, Midwestern university in the U.S. The present study investigated ON using two different tools: the ORTO-15 and the Eating Habits Questionnaire (EHQ). The independent variables were athletic status and hours of exercise per week, and the dependent variables were scores on the EHQ and ORTO-15. Participants reported demographic information, including whether they were an athlete (n = 196 athletes, 105 non-athletes) and how many hours of exercise they perform weekly, and then completed both questionnaires. The results indicated that the ORTO-10 (a revised version of the ORTO-15) and the EHQ were correlated. Additionally, athletes exercised at a higher volume than non-athletes, and a greater amount of exercise was positively correlated with scores on the EHQ for the male athletes but not with scores on the EHQ for the female athletes. Results of the present research are consistent with another study comparing the EHQ and ORTO-10. In order to further address the need for a reliable test of ON, future research may seek to replicate these findings and investigate whether there is a correlation between ON symptoms and exercise habits.

Permission Statement

This item is protected by copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code) and may only be used for noncommercial, educational, and scholarly purposes.

Keywords

Undergraduate research

Disciplines

Psychology

Download

Included in

Psychology Commons

Share

COinS