ArticlePloS one2026
Orthorexia nervosa and social media: A mixed-methods scoping review using a systematic methodology.
Article in PloS one, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- What the algorithm serves: diet and fitness content on Instagram as independent predictors of orthorexia nervosa in a large Italian female sample.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Article
- The algorithmic epistemic inversion in gastroenterology: how social media and psychological vulnerability fuel secondary risks in IBD and IBS management.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionOrthorexia Nervosa (ON) is defined as a preoccupation with abiding by a self-perceived healthy diet resulting in pathological thought, behavior and emotion. Social media platforms may add to this preoccupation with healthy eating by offering accessible exposure to food and dieting information. Yet, the precise nature of the association between ON and exposure to social media remains underexplored. The aim is to explore the existing literature on the relationship between social media and ON in a scoping search and to synthesize the findings.
methodsWe searched PubMed, Web of Science, PsycInfo (Ovid), ProQuest, and Embase (Elsevier). As for the grey literature, we searched ProQuest Dissertations and Open Access Theses and Dissertations. The first literature search was conducted on August 7, 2023 then a literature update on September 18, 2024.
resultsAfter the identification of studies and data extraction, authors assessed the methodological quality of included studies. The characteristics and findings from the studies were narratively synthesized, with a focus on the platform, duration, and content of social media use. A total of 31 studies were identified between 2017 and 2024, which were predominantly cross-sectional and focused on Westernized populations. The results have shown a bidirectional relationship between ON and social media, influenced by the characteristics of the platform (e.g., image-based), duration of use (e.g., longer use), content themes (e.g., diet and fitness-related), and individual-level factors (e.g., limited health literacy, young adulthood and adolescence, and body dissatisfaction).
conclusionThe main research gaps found were the absence of experimental studies, lack of studies in non-Westernized populations, restrictive samples, and lack of investigations about developmental pathways. Longitudinal, experimental and qualitative studies in future research are warranted to advance knowledge. Systematic review registration: Open Science Framework (OSF) Registries (DOI https://osf.io/vrqwt).
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.