Influence of Social Media on Food Choices and Dietary Behavior among School and College Students in Narayanganj District, Bangladesh

Implications for Nutritional Health and Adolescent Well-Being

Abstract

The widespread use of social media among adolescents and young adults has raised growing concern with regard to its influence on dietary behaviors, mainly through targeted food advertising. Understanding this influence is necessary in the formulation of effective public health interventions. This research investigated exposure to social media food advertising among students and assessed its impact on food preferences, dietary behavior, and perceptions about healthy eating. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 384 students aged 10–20 years. Data were collected on demographic characteristics, social media usage, exposure to food advertisements, and food-related attitudes and behaviors. Quantitative data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and chi-square tests, and thematic analysis was used for open-ended responses. A large majority (90.89%) of the respondents actively used social networking sites, and YouTube (31%) and Facebook (30%) were the most frequently used sites. Fast food advertisements were the most viewed (42.86%). Among the persons exposed to food advertisements, 84.67% had the urge to try the product they saw on the internet, primarily due to the fact that “it looked attractive” (56.38%). Social networking sites influenced people to indulge in experimenting with food, and 53.09% of the respondents had tried a new way of eating in the last year, primarily juice/cleansing diets (35.66%). There was a weak to moderate correlation, but the result is statistically significant, between age groups and the susceptibility of food advertising (p = 0.0057); the most affected group of students were in the 13-15-year-old range. Even though 46.09% of the respondents thought advertisements increased the urge to eat junk food, 64.61% were exposed to advertisements of healthy food, and 51.03% thought that social networking sites could aid in eating healthy, the most sought-after food preference was “fast food” (28.13%), followed by sweets (20.31%). Through thematic analysis, it emerged that making healthy foods visually appealing, nutrition education, platform responsibility, and community engagement were viewed as key strategies for promoting healthier eating.

The kinds of food preferences and eating behaviors of this age group are considerably influenced by social media, and this is especially focused on unhealthy foods. Still, consumers are aware of the potential of social media in influencing healthier eating practices. Social media could then become an effective source for better eating habits of the youth if it utilizes images and proper advertising policies.