Public attitudes towards contemporary aspects of healthy eating (orthorexia nervosa)

General Medicine, 2025, 27(6), 10-14.

T. Georgieva-Mircheva, M. Todorova

Shumen Branch, Medical University “Prof. Dr. Paraskev Stoyanov” – Varna

Abstract. In the pursuit of optimal health, modern society imposes various dietary regimes that alter previous notions of healthy eating. The attempt to achieve the perfect healthy diet can lead to the development of an eating disorder. Orthorexia nervosa is a relatively new type of eating disorder, which, according to a large meta-analysis involving over 30,000 people from 18 countries, affects 30% of the population (men and women) worldwide. Objective: To determine public attitudes towards contemporary forms of “healthy” eating by examining respondents affected by orthorexia nervosa. Materials and Methods: For the purpose of the study, a custom questionnaire was developed, consisting of 16 questions with pre-set responses related to healthy eating. The dietary habits of 352 respondents were surveyed via the Jotform platform, and the data were statistically processed using the SPSS for Windows software package, version 19.0.0. The study was conducted from November 2024 to January 2025. Results: A significant portion of the respondents in the study, in both age categories, share that they have a special attitude towards “healthy eating” (up to 44 years old – 36%, over 45 years old – 37%) and for them the quality of the food they consume is more important than the quantity.

Key words: healthy eating, food disorder, orthorexia nervosa

Address for correspondence: Tihomira Stefcheva Georgieva-Mircheva, e-mail: mira_mirchevaa@yahoo.com, Milena Milkova Todorova, e-mail: M.Todorova@mu-varna.bg