Cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric validation of the Test of Orthorexia Nervosa to Brazil

• Grant number: 24/06453-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2024
• End date: July 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Nutrition
• Principal Investigator: Telma Maria Braga Costa
• Grantee: Pedro Henrique Bolognezzi Volpe
• Host Institution: Universidade de Ribeirão Preto (UNAERP). Campus Ribeirão Preto. Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Orthorexia nervosa is a diagnostic proposal in which excessive concern with healthy eating constitutes a psychopathology. This construct has been divided into healthy orthorexia and pathological orthorexia. Several studies have linked orthorexia with vegetarian eating behaviors. Vegetarianism is a dietary pattern in which individuals exclude animal-derived foods. There are few validated instruments for the Brazilian population that measure orthorexia nervosa, and even fewer that assess healthy orthorexia. Furthermore, very few national studies have evaluated the relationship of this construct with vegetarians. Therefore, this project aims to perform the transcultural adaptation and psychometric validation of the Test of Orthorexia Nervosa (TON-17) for Brazilian vegetarians and omnivores. To do this, 600 adults, omnivores or of some vegetarian or vegan denomination, will be recruited virtually to participate in the research. Confirmatory Factor Analyses and Multigroup Confirmatory Factor Analyses will be conducted to assess the plausibility of the instrument's factorial structure and to verify invariance between groups, respectively. A Multivariate Analysis of Variance will be conducted to assess the relationship between orthorexia nervosa and healthy orthorexia in different groups.