Exploring the Relationship between Social Media Use, Orthorexia Nervosa, Body Image Dissatisfaction and Gender

Orthorexia Nervosa (ON) is characterised as an obsession concerning nutrition and high-quality food. Generally, healthy lifestyle choices have gained more importance over the past decade, which can also be seen on social media. Since prior research found that social media use can be linked to a negative perception of one’s body, as well as to eating disorders, the aim of this research is to gain a better understanding of the association between social media use and ON. Furthermore, the current study investigates the role of gender differences in the severity of ON and the use of social media since there are differential findings in research. Additionally, a moderating role of gender and body image dissatisfaction (BID) on the relationship between social media use and ON is assumed, which is tested in the current study.