Investigation of the Relationship Between Health Anxiety and Cyberchondria in Obese Cases

Objective: Obesity is a condition that can lead to many serious health problems, and the relationship between health anxiety and cyberchondria can cause increased levels of health-related anxiety in obese individuals, consequently reducing their quality of life. This study was conducted to examine the relationship between health anxiety and cyberchondria levels in obese individuals. Materials and Methods: This descriptive and correlational study was conducted between 15 July and 21 November 2022. The sample of the study consisted of 389 obese individuals with BMI>30 who applied to the obesity centre of a university hospital. Descriptive Information Form, Health Anxiety Inventory and Cyberchondria Severity Scale were used in the study. Results: The total score of the participants in this study was 21.87± 9.70 on the Health Anxiety Scale and 81.37± 20.11 on the Cyberchondria Severity Scale. A significant positive correlation was found between health anxiety and cyberchondria levels. In addition, regression analysis showed that cyberchondria predicted 14% of health anxiety. Conclusion: Nurses working in the field of public health and mental health need to understand health anxiety and cyberchondria in order to identify attitudes and behaviors that may occur in obese individuals in physical, social and mental areas and to apply nursing interventions when necessary.