Investigation of the Relationship Between Social Media Addiction and Orthorexia Nervosa in Adult Individuals Who Applied to Obesity Polyclinic

Orthorexia nervosa is an obsession with healthy eating with associated restrictive behaviors. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between social media addiction and orthorexia nervosa in obese individuals. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 174 participants who applied to the obesity outpatient clinic and their social media use, and addiction status and the pres- ence of orthorexia nervosa were investigated. Among a total of 174 people, 117 (67.2%) were women and 57 (32.8%) were men.The mean body masss index value was 30.53 ± 5.10. It was determined that 79.3% of the participants had tried to lose weight before, the mean score of the participants was 28.33 ± 4.61 in orthorexia nervosascale and 46.47 ± 14.78 in social media addiction scale. According to the body masss index value, those who were obese had higher SMBÖ-SF(social media addiction scale adult form) scores compared to those who were overweight. A negative relationship was found between the orthorexia nervosa scale 11 score and the “virtual communication” score of social media addiction scale adult form sub-dimensions. The incidence of orthorexia nervosa was higher in obese individuals who scored higher on social media addiction scale. Sharing on social media can have an impact on the body image and diet. Informing obese individuals is important in protecting against popular trends in social media and possible eating disorders.

Cite this article as: Şener, B. S., & Özkaya, H. (2023). Investigation of the relationship between social media addiction and orthorexia nervosa in adult individuals who applied to obesity polyclinic. Addicta: The Turkish Journal on Addictions, 10(2), 135-141.