The Relationship Between Orthorexia Nervosa and Social Media Use in Nursing Students/

Abstract

This cross-sectional and descriptive study was investigated the correlation between orthorexia nervosa and social media use in nursing students. The study sample was 339 students who volunteered to participate in the research. Data were collected using the Sociodemographic Data Form, the Social Media Use Integration Scale (SMUIS), and the ORTO-11 Scale. The mean ORTO-11 scale scores of the nursing students were 27,98 ± 4,92 and 30,38% of the students were under 25 points. A negative significant relationship was found between the ORTO-11 scores and the SMUIS scores (r = -.136), the Integration into Social Routines sub-dimension (r = -.138), and the duration of social media use (r = -.110, p = 0.042). It was found that there was no difference between orthorexia tendency according to social media tools, but as social media use and duration increased, It may be recommended to carry out curriculum studies in order for nursing faculty students to access accurate information about the effects of social media and healthy diet, as well as to plan initiatives to raise awareness of the subject in both students and faculty members.