Assessing the Risk of Orthorexia in Dietetic and Physiotherapy Students Using the BOT (Bratman Test for Orthorexia)

Introduction. Orthorexia nervosa is an obsessive-compulsive focus on a “healthy” diet, which manifests as extreme concern about food content. This research was carried out in order to identify highly sensitive behaviours associated with eating a healthy diet. Aim. Assessment of risk of orthorexia nervosa among dietetics students compared to physiotherapy students. Material and Methods. Presented research was conducted among 229 dietetic students and 201 physiotherapy students. It was based on general personal characteristics, the Bratman Test for Orthorexia (BOT) and questions posed by the authors. Results. 26.6% of the dietetics students and only 14.9% of physiotherapy students were recognised as health food fanatics. The students of both dietetics (88.2%) and physiotherapy (52%) declared that they noticed changes in their attitude towards food after they had become students. Conclusions. It has been observed that these highly sensitive behaviours towards healthy eating are very common in both surveyed groups, however with a stronger tendency among the students of dietetics.