Social media and unhealthy food nexus: Evidence from Saudi Arabia

Aldossari, N.; Al-Mahish, Mohammed

doi:10.1556/066.2020.00178

Cited by 11 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…While Facebook was the most frequently used social media site in Saudi Arabia in 2011, it lost this position to Twitter in 2013 [42]. Moreover, a 2021 study conducted in Saudi Arabia showed that Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube were the most desired social media platforms [43], which is consistent with this study's findings.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

“…Food and drink marketing on social media platforms has a powerful influence on eating habits among young populations [44]. Because young adults usually spend more time browsing the Internet, own personal smartphones, and are registered on more than one social media channel, they are heavily exposed to food and drink advertisements, especially in comparison to other forms of marketing [43,44]. In this study, the participants generally had high exposure to food and drink marketing via social media platforms, with about half reporting exposure three to four times per day, and one-quarter reporting once per day during the last month.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fleming-Milici and Harris [45] found that nearly half of their study population was involved with unhealthy foods and drinks on social media, including fast foods, sugary drinks, and snacks [45]. Similarly, one study found that Saudi adults who were exposed to food marketing on social media platforms sought unhealthy foods, including burgers, pizza, cookies, and chocolate; by contrast, healthy food items were less desired, including Greek yogurt, granola, and sugar-free juices [43]. Comparably, Rummo et al [46] found that a high number of adolescents in the United States followed unhealthy food and drink brands on Twitter and Instagram, particularly those associated with fast foods and sugary drinks [46]; the authors concluded that this was likely to increase consumption, thereby increasing weight gain.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Exposure to Food Marketing via Social Media and Obesity among University Students in Saudi Arabia

Aljefree

Alhothali

2022

IJERPH

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This study investigated the associations between obesity and unhealthy food/drink intake with both the frequency of social media platform usage and food/drink marketing exposure on social media. Data were obtained from 316 university students aged 18–29 years at two universities in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. These participants completed online questionnaires with sections on demographics, anthropometric measurements, social media platform usage, food marketing exposure via social media, and unhealthy food consumption. All of the participants, 20.3% and 13.6% were overweight and obese, respectively. Snapchat was the most popular application (85.8%), followed by Instagram (75%), YouTube (61%), Twitter (51%), and TikTok (50%). The obese participants were more likely to purchase foods/drinks after watching relevant social media advertisements than their non-obese counterparts (p < 0.04). Moreover, those who purchased foods/drinks more frequently after watching such advertisements consumed higher amounts of potato chips (p < 0.01) and fast foods (p < 0.03). Finally, those who used Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram tended to have higher consumption rates for potato chips (p < 0.02), fast foods (p < 0.01), sweets (p < 0.02), and sugary drinks (p < 0.04). Public health policymakers in Saudi Arabia should consider regulating unhealthy food and drink advertisements on social media platforms, especially those targeted at younger generations.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Exposure to Food Marketing via Social Media and Obesity among University Students in Saudi Arabia

Aljefree

Alhothali

2022

IJERPH

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“…For example, a recent study conducted among university students in Saudi Arabia showed that participants who purchased foods/drinks more frequently after viewing such ads consumed higher amounts of potato chips and fast foods [ 22 ]. According to a study by Aldossari and Al-Mahish (2021) that focused on social media preferences for determining Saudi Arabian residents’ eating habits, the majority of respondents preferred unhealthy and nutrient-poor food products over healthy and nutrient-rich food [ 23 ]. In addition, there is evidence of the impact of social media influencers on food consumption among the Saudi population [ 24 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Social Media Advertisement and Physical Activity on Eating Behaviors among the General Population in Saudi Arabia

Aleid,

Alshahrani,

Alsedrah

et al. 2024

Nutrients

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Over the past few decades, people in Saudi Arabia have become less inclined to adopt active lifestyles and healthy eating habits due to the increasing use of digital technologies such as social media. The objective of this online-based cross-sectional study was to assess the role of social media food advertisements and physical activity on eating behaviors among the general population in Saudi Arabia (n = 471). Data were collected through a structured questionnaire, which consisted of four parts: (i) sociodemographic information, (ii) attitude towards social media, (iii) eating behaviors-related information, and (iv) exposure to and engagement with social media advertisements. The study’s outcome variable, eating behaviors (healthy vs. unhealthy), was assessed using the following question: “Are you on a healthy diet (such as a balanced diet, keto, or low carb)?” A multiple binary logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the factors that influence unhealthy eating behaviors. Approximately 79.6% of the participants had unhealthy eating behaviors. Participants who were not involved in daily physical activity were more likely to have unhealthy eating behaviors compared to their counterparts (adjusted odds ratio, AOR = 4.86). Participants who watched food ads on social media channels 1–3 times a week (AOR = 2.58) or daily (AOR = 3.49) were more likely to have unhealthy eating behaviors than their counterparts. Participants whose appetite to try foods increases always (AOR = 1.42) or usually (AOR = 2.88) after viewing ads on social media were more likely to have unhealthy eating behaviors. These findings suggest that policymakers should take immediate action to regulate food advertising policy to promote a healthy food environment across the country. Saudis should be encouraged to engage in more physical activity, which could support the maintenance of healthy eating patterns and lifestyles.

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“…Accordingly, the research studies in Saudi Arabia focused on the social media applications in health management from different perspectives. For instance, Aldossari and Al-Mahish study (24) focused on the used social media preferences for determining the food habits of the Saudi Arabian residents and found that the majority of the people preferred unhealthy and nutrient-poor food items over healthy and nutrient-rich food. Similarly, Al-Hamdan et al (25) investigated the use of social media (WhatsApp) as an intervention for educating and creating health awareness among Saudi females with prediabetes and found that the application was significant in creating awareness and creating behavioral change, resulting in improved HbA1c levels.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perception of Healthcare Providers About the Use of Social Media to Manage a Healthy Diet in Saudi Arabia

Alanzi

Altuwailib

Saadah

et al. 2021

Front. Public Health

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Purpose: The objective of this study is to investigate the perceptions of healthcare providers about the use of social media for healthy diet management in Saudi Arabia.Participants and Methods: A cross-sectional study was designed to investigate the use of social media healthy diet management. The sample constituted 308 healthcare professionals from Saudi Arabia. The social media application, WhatsApp is employed to distribute the questionnaire, which has achieved a response rate of 50.61%. Out of the total participants, 55% of the participants were under 30 years of age, 71% were females, and 55% of the participants had a bachelor's degree.Results: Among the total respondents, 66% used social networking applications more than four hours a day, and 78% utilized social media to get information about a healthy diet. The respondents employed the following platforms for this purpose: Instagram (27%), YouTube (19%), Snapchat (19%), WhatsApp (18%), Twitter (8%), and Facebook (5%). The respondents considered that social media is very helpful to educate (44%), communicate with specialists (33%), and get applications for a healthy diet (38%). They held an opinion that social media is very helpful in improving knowledge about a healthy diet (47%), creating diet awareness (42%), and achieving healthy diet outcomes (37%) and lifestyle (37%).Conclusion: According to the perception of health providers, social media can be used to promote healthy diet management in Saudi Arabia. Also, the growing use of social media in Saudi Arabia represents the potential to create programs that encourage and promote healthy eating habits in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, and WhatsApp platforms can be used for this purpose.

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Social media and unhealthy food nexus: Evidence from Saudi Arabia

Cited by 11 publications

References 24 publications

Exposure to Food Marketing via Social Media and Obesity among University Students in Saudi Arabia

Exposure to Food Marketing via Social Media and Obesity among University Students in Saudi Arabia

The Role of Social Media Advertisement and Physical Activity on Eating Behaviors among the General Population in Saudi Arabia

Perception of Healthcare Providers About the Use of Social Media to Manage a Healthy Diet in Saudi Arabia

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