Attitudes towards ‘superfood’ depending on the risk of orthorexia among students in Poland and The Netherlands

• Main Authors: Karolina Osowiecka, Joanna Myszkowska-Ryciak
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Institute of Rural Health 2020-12-01
• Series: Medycyna Ogólna i Nauki o Zdrowiu
• Subjects: orthorexia nervosa; superfood; eating behavior; nutritional knowledge; young adults; eating disorders
• Online Access: http://www.monz.pl/Attitudes-towards-superfood-depending-on-the-risk-of-orthorexia-among-students-in,125389,0,2.html
• ISSN: 2083-4543; 2084-4905

Introduction Ortoreksja nervosa is an eating disorder that can affect young people. It is characterized by excessive care for the quality of consumed products, also in terms of their positive effect on the human body. This type of food, both with high nutritional quality and health-promoting properties, includes products called ‘superfood’ (e.g. goji berries, chia seeds). Objectives The aim of the study was to assess the risk of orthorexia and to analyze attitudes towards ‘superfood’ among students from the Warsaw University of Life Sciences (WULS), Poland, and Wageningen University & Research (WUR) in Wageningen, The Netherlands Material and methods 240 students participated in the study. The risk of orthorexia was assessed on the basis of a validated ORTO-15 questionnaire, with a cut-off point of 35 points. Knowledge and attitudes towards ‘superfoods’ were evaluated based on the author’s questionnaire, including also questions about anthropometric and socio-demographic characteristics. Results The examined groups of students were of a similar age (WULS 22.0 ± 3.0 years; WUR 22.8 ± 4.6 years), 75% of the respondents had normal body weight. About 30% of students from WULS and 26% from WUR showed the risk of orthorexia. The best-known products with health-promoting properties were: ginger, ginseng, chia seeds and aloe vera. In contrast, the most frequently consumed were ginger and turmeric. A relationship between orthorexia and superfood consumption was observed for goji berries, amaranth (WULS students) and ginseng (WUR students) Conclusions The relationship between orthorexia and the knowledge and consumption of superfoods products was shown only for 3 products. The obtained results could have been influenced by the small percentage of students with a confirmed risk of orthorexia in the study group. Therefore, to formulate binding conclusions about the relationship between orthoretic behaviour and the knowledge and consumption of superfoods products, further research on a bigger study group is recommended.