Development and validation of the Lebanese Orthorexia Nervosa Inventory (LONI)

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
• Clinical Psychology
• Cultural Psychology

Background:

• Orthorexia Nervosa (ON) is characterized by an unhealthy fixation on food quality, distinct from recognized eating disorders focused on quantity.
• Existing assessment tools for ON lack consistency due to differing conceptualizations, impacting research validity and clinical identification.
• There is a need for a culturally sensitive and validated instrument to accurately assess ON in diverse populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate the first Eastern, locally tailored tool for assessing Orthorexia Nervosa (ON) in the Lebanese population.
• To create an instrument that addresses the cultural nuances and social context specific to Lebanon and similar regions.
• To overcome limitations of existing ON scales and provide a reliable measure for clinical and research use.

Main Methods:

• Data collection involved 320 participants for exploratory factor analysis and 658 for confirmatory analysis between September 2023 and February 2024.
• Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFA-CFA) were employed to refine the item pool and validate the scale structure.
• Psychometric properties, including reliability and validity, were assessed across diverse demographic subgroups.

Main Results:

• The Lebanese Orthorexia Nervosa Inventory (LONI) was developed, comprising 13 items with a unidimensional factor structure.
• The LONI demonstrated high reliability (composite reliability ω and α = 0.90) and satisfactory convergent and concurrent validity.
• The scale's structural characteristics remained consistent across gender, confirming its stability and reliability in measuring ON traits.

Conclusions:

• The LONI is a psychometrically sound and valid instrument for assessing Orthorexia Nervosa (ON) in Lebanese and culturally similar populations.
• Its unidimensional structure simplifies score calculation, enhancing practicality for clinical and research applications.
• The LONI's cultural specificity offers an advantage over existing tools, highlighting the role of sociocultural factors in ON manifestation.