Disordered Eating, Self-Reported Nutrition Knowledge, and Online Nutrition Information Seeking Among an International Sample of Adults

OBJECTIVE: Examine relationships between self-reported nutrition knowledge, seeking nutrition information online, and disordered eating. METHODS: Cross-sectional data were drawn from online surveys in 2021 among adults from Australia, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and the United States (N = 21,138). Adjusted logistic models generated odds ratios to assess relationships between self-reported nutrition knowledge (ordinal) and online sources of nutrition information (dichotomous) with disordered eating. RESULTS: Higher self-reported nutrition knowledge was associated with elevated odds of binge eating, preoccupation with thinness, and self-induced vomiting. Seeking nutrition information online was associated with higher odds of binge eating in Australia and Mexico; lower odds of self-induced vomiting in Australia, Canada, Mexico, and the United States; and higher odds of preoccupation with thinness in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Disordered eating is cross-sectionally associated with self-reported nutrition knowledge and seeking nutrition information from online sources. Results indicate a greater need for public health nutrition research and education.