A Continuously Cumulating Meta-Analysis of the Relationship Between Perfectionism and Orthorexia in Exercisers

A recent meta-analysis found that perfectionism was related to orthorexia (obsessive healthy eating). However, the meta-analysis included only three samples from the sport and exercise domain, so estimates were imprecise and, for perfectionistic concerns, unclear. We conducted a continuously cumulating meta-analysis to update these estimates. Following a preregistered protocol, with open data and code, we recruited three samples-255 gym members (age: 32.92 years, SD = 8.58), 297 functional athletes (age: 33.89 years, SD = 8.65), and 278 runners (age: 41.15 years, SD = 13.14). Reanalysis of meta-analytical effects incorporating these samples (total N = 1,717) showed that orthorexia had a medium, positive relationship with perfectionistic strivings (r+ = .31, 95% CI [.15, .46]) and a small-to-medium positive, relationship with perfectionistic concerns (r+ = .26, 95% CI [.11, .40]). The findings confirm that both dimensions of perfectionism are potential risk factors for orthorexia in the sport and exercise domain.