Orthorexic eating behavior and dietary restraint in female undergraduate students

Our objective was to compare the predisposition to orthorexic eating behavior and other eating behaviors between female nutrition and biology undergraduate students in either their first or final year. Ninety-five students participated in this cross-sectional study: 48 nutrition students (1st year - N1 - n=24; 5th year - N5 - n=24) and 47 biology students: (1st year - B1 - n=25; 5th year - B5 - n=22). The predisposition to orthorexic eating behavior (OEB) was assessed by ORTO-15. The Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire - R21 was used to assess cognitive restriction (CR), emotional eating (EE), and uncontrolled eating (UE). Nutrition students presented a higher predisposition to OEB (85.4% vs 55.3%; p=0.001) and higher scores for CR than biology students (50.3 +/- 20.4 vs 38.4 +/- 18.8; p=0.003), especially first-year students. There was no difference between groups N1 and N5 in any behavior assessed, except for EE (N1: 57.2 +/- 32.5 > N5: 39.8 +/- 19.4; p=0.03). Our results point to the need for technical training of these students, who will influence the eating habits of other people. In addition, it is necessary to prevent the factors that predispose individuals to extreme eating behaviors, which can eventually harm their physical and emotional health.