Kontakt X:X | DOI: 10.32725/kont.2026.051

Comparison of orthorexic tendencies among students in health-related and non-health-related fields of study in SloveniaSocial Sciences in Health - Original article

Val Bizjak¹, Maša Černelič-Bizjak ORCID...^{2, *}

¹ University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Medicine, Ljubljana, Slovenia

² University of Primorska, Faculty of Health Sciences, Koper, Slovenia

Future health professional students are constantly exposed to health advice, instructions, and recommendations, which may be associated with greater preoccupation with health-related topics beyond normal concern. In recent decades, an obsession with what is healthy, including healthy eating, has become increasingly evident. The aim of this study was to examine orthorexic tendencies among future health professional students and non-health-related students in Slovenia. The sample included 454 students who anonymously completed the ORTO-15 questionnaire and provided selected demographic data. Future health professional students had significantly lower ORTO-15 scores than non-health-related students, indicating stronger orthorexic tendencies (p < 0.001). Among future health professionals, stronger orthorexic tendencies were observed in men, older students, and students with higher BMI, although in the regression analysis only study programme and gender remained significant predictors. These findings suggest that orthorexic tendencies may be more pronounced in health-related students and may be shaped by both study context and individual characteristics. The results highlight the need for health-related education to promote a balanced approach to healthy eating and to avoid reinforcing overly restrictive dietary attitudes.

Keywords: Health professions students; Orthorexia nervosa; Orthorexic tendencies; ORTO-15; Students

Grants and funding:

This research was conducted as part of the Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency's research program P5-0454 "SiZDRAV".

Conflicts of interest:

The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

Received: April 17, 2026; Revised: June 26, 2026; Accepted: August 20, 2026; Prepublished online: August 20, 2026