Front Public Health. 2025 Sep 24;13:1572654. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1572654. eCollection 2025.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association between food insecurity (FI), eating disorders (EDs), and orthorexia nervosa (ON) among Lebanese university students.
METHODS: This cross-sectional study, conducted between 2021 and 2022, enrolled 197 students, from various majors, via snowball sampling. Data were collected on Google Forms via social media platforms.
RESULTS: Most participants (59.4%) declared being food-insecure, without financial support (67.0%), nor financial independence (68.5%). Most did not show any ED (81.7%) or a risk of ON (79.7%). Reported EDs were bulimia-nervosa (6.1%) and anorexia-nervosa (6.1%); 4.1% had a high risk of ON. No significant associations were found between declared FI, ED, and the risk of ON. Higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet (ORa = 1.31) and higher perceived stress (ORa = 1.14) were significantly associated with EDs. Higher exercise addiction scores (ORa = 1.25) and higher insomnia levels (ORa = 1.26) were significantly associated with the risk of ON. Being employed (ORa = 0.17) and skipping meals (ORa = 0.20) were inversely associated with declared ON.
CONCLUSION: FI and EDs were not associated among university students in Lebanon. Research into underlying mechanisms and cultural aspects is crucial to clarifying these associations.
PMID:41069823 | PMC:PMC12504193 | DOI:10.3389/fpubh.2025.1572654
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