Behavior
Associations of Weight Teasing and Related Distress with Orthorexic Eating among College Students Cynthia Yoon* Cynthia Yoon Yoon Pusan National University
Background: Orthorexic eating (OE) refers to preoccupation with foods perceived as healthy accompanied by rigid dietary rules. OE is prevalent among college students and associated with adverse health outcomes, highlighting the need to identify modifiable and preventable risk factors.
Objective: To examine the associations of weight teasing and weight teasing related distress with OE among college students.
Methods: Data were drawn from 1,647 college students in 2022-2023 (Mage=20.5±3.3 years; 58.7% female). Independent variables included self-reported weight teasing by friends or family members and related distress. Dependent variable, OE, was assessed using the ORTO-15 (<35 points). Covariates included age, sex, ethnicity/race, parental educational attainment, and BMI. Modified Poisson regression examined associations of weight teasing and related distress with OE.
Results: Students who experienced weight teasing from friends or family each had 1.24 (95% CI=1.04-1.48) and 1.22 times (95% CI=1.03-1.44) the prevalence of OE, respectively, compared to those not teased, after adjustments. Among students teased by friends, those reporting distress ‘a little ’ or ‘a lot’ had 1.25 (95% CI=0.74-2.11) and 1.90 (95% CI=1.13-3.20) times the prevalence of OE, respectively, compared to those not distressed. Among those teased by family members, students reporting distress ‘a lot’ had 1.32 (95% CI=0.86-2.04) times the prevalence of OE compared to those not distressed.
Conclusion: Weight teasing and related distress were associated with greater OE prevalence among students, with stronger associations observed for teasing by friends and higher levels of perceived distress. OE prevention efforts may benefit from incorporating strategies that reduce weight-based teasing and stigma within peer and campus environments.