How do Instagram’s clean-eating hashtags influence Orthorexia Nervosa and the sense of self in self-identified Orthorexia Nervosa tendencies: a mixed methods study
type: CreativeWork
description: Background/aims: Orthorexia Nervosa (ON) involves an obsessional preoccupation with food perceived as healthy (Moroze et al., 2015). Several studies have found those with ON behaviours are particularly active on Instagram. At the time of writing, no research has addressed how those who self-identify as having ON engage with or are engaged by Instagram’s clean-eating hashtags, nor how individuals who self-identify as having ON experience their sense of self whilst using Instagram. Design/method: A frequency scale, designed to capture engagement with clean-eating hashtags on Instagram, the ORTO-15, and a demographic questionnaire were completed by 104 females who self-identify as having ON and use Instagram. A Spearman correlation was calculated to examine the relationship between ON symptoms and engagement with clean-eating hashtags. Eight participants who scored in the top 40% of the measures were interviewed using a semi-structured process. Verbatim accounts were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings: A statistically significant relationship between individuals who are engaged with clean-eating hashtags and higher levels of ON symptoms was found. Through thematic analysis, four themes were generated: ‘Regulating Self-Worth Symbolically’ (which refers to how the participants regulate their sense of self-worth through Instagram), ‘Finding Meaning & Purpose’ (which discusses how the participant's self-worth and self-esteem are fulfilled through ON behaviours), ‘Repeating Negative Cycles’ (which describes how the participants’ sense of Self is negatively impacted through cycles they find themselves in), ‘Negotiation of a Different Relationship with Lifestyle’ (which refers to the participants’ relationship with changing their ON behaviours). Conclusions: The quantitative aspect of this study concluded there is a positive relationship between individuals who are engaged with clean-eating hashtags on Instagram and higher levels of ON tendencies. The qualitative find…
abstract: Background/aims: Orthorexia Nervosa (ON) involves an obsessional preoccupation with food perceived as healthy (Moroze et al., 2015). Several studies have found those with ON behaviours are particularly active on Instagram. At the time of writing, no research has addressed how those who self-identify as having ON engage with or are engaged by Instagram’s clean-eating hashtags, nor how individuals who self-identify as having ON experience their sense of self whilst using Instagram. Design/method: A frequency scale, designed to capture engagement with clean-eating hashtags on Instagram, the ORTO-15, and a demographic questionnaire were completed by 104 females who self-identify as having ON and use Instagram. A Spearman correlation was calculated to examine the relationship between ON symptoms and engagement with clean-eating hashtags. Eight participants who scored in the top 40% of the measures were interviewed using a semi-structured process. Verbatim accounts were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings: A statistically significant relationship between individuals who are engaged with clean-eating hashtags and higher levels of ON symptoms was found. Through thematic analysis, four themes were generated: ‘Regulating Self-Worth Symbolically’ (which refers to how the participants regulate their sense of self-worth through Instagram), ‘Finding Meaning & Purpose’ (which discusses how the participant's self-worth and self-esteem are fulfilled through ON behaviours), ‘Repeating Negative Cycles’ (which describes how the participants’ sense of Self is negatively impacted through cycles they find themselves in), ‘Negotiation of a Different Relationship with Lifestyle’ (which refers to the participants’ relationship with changing their ON behaviours). Conclusions: The quantitative aspect of this study concluded there is a positive relationship between individuals who are engaged with clean-eating hashtags on Instagram and higher levels of ON tendencies. The qualitative find…
author: Horowitz, Raechel
keywords: 150 Psychology, 300 Social sciences, 610 Medicine & health
date published: 2022
date modified: 2026-07-24T02:54:47Z
provider: London Metropolitan University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: London Metropolitan University