Vol.:(0123456789) 1 3 Eating and Weight Disorders - Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-018-0631-x ORIGINAL ARTICLE Correlates of orthorexia nervosa among a representative sample of the Lebanese population Chadia Haddad 1  · Sahar Obeid 1,2,3  · Marwan Akel 4,5  · Karl Honein 6  · Maria Akiki 6  · Jocelyne Azar 1,7  · Souheil Hallit 5,6,8 Received: 24 October 2018 / Accepted: 14 December 2018 © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019 Abstract Introduction Orthorexia nervosa (ON), or the pathological preoccupation and “fxation on healthy food” has been emerging as a new eating disorder. A limited amount of literature exists today on the prevalence of ON. The objective of the current study was to assess factors associated with ON tendencies and behaviors among a representative sample of the Lebanese population. Methods This was a cross-sectional study, conducted between January and May 2018, which enrolled 811 participants from all Lebanese governorates. The ORTHO-15 scale was used to evaluate ON tendencies and behaviors among participants. Scores below 40 indicate the presence of ON. Results The results showed that 589 (75.2%) participants had ON tendencies and behaviors. The results of the multivari- able analysis taking the ORTHO-15 score as the dependent variable, showed that female gender (Beta = − 0.739), starving to lose weight (Beta = − 0.859), convincing others to follow a diet (Beta = − 0.971), thinking that eating out is unhealthy (Beta = − 0.931) and increased EAT (eating attitudes test) scores (Beta = − 0.087) were associated with higher level of orthorexia tendencies and behaviors (lower ORTHO-15 scores). Conclusion A highly unexpected prevalence of ON tendencies and behaviors was found in our sample. The Lebanese population might have high preoccupation behavior towards healthy and proper nutrition. Social awareness and behavioral intervention programs are warranted to follow a healthy diet and lifestyle behaviors, and consequently overcome ON. Level of evidence Level 5, cross-sectional descriptive study. Keywords Orthorexia nervosa · Healthy food · Body image · Eating habits · Lifestyle habits Introduction Orthorexia nervosa (ON), or the pathological preoccupa- tion and “fxation on healthy food” has been emerging as a new eating disorder. It is characterized by pervasive thought This article is part of the topical collection on Orthorexia Nervosa. * Souheil Hallit souheilhallit@hotmail.com Sahar Obeid saharobeid23@hotmail.com 1 Psychiatric Hospital of the Cross, Jal Eddib, Lebanon 2 Faculty of Philosophy and Human Sciences, Holy Spirit University (USEK), Jounieh, Lebanon 3 Faculty of Pedagogy, Lebanese University, Beirut, Lebanon 4 School of Pharmacy, Lebanese International University, Beirut, Lebanon 5 INSPECT-LB, Institut National de Sante Publique, Epidemiologie Clinique et Toxicologie, Beirut, Lebanon 6 Faculty of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK), Jounieh, Lebanon 7 Faculty of Medicine, Lebanese American University, Byblos, Lebanon 8 Building 560, Street 8, 1st foor, Biakout, Lebanon