‘You know what, I’m in the trend as well’: understanding the interplay between digital and real-life social influences on the food and activity choices of young adults

Abstract

Objective: To understand young adults’ perceptions of online and real-life social influences on their food and activity choices. Design: A qualitative study involving seven focus groups. Thematic analyses using both deductive and inductive techniques were performed. Setting: A polytechnic and a university in Singapore. Participants: A total of 46 full-time students, 19-24 years of age. Results: Participants revealed that social media meets multiple needs, contributing to its ubiquitous use and facilitating content spread between social networks. Food-related content shared on social media were mostly commercial posts, marketing foods and eateries showcasing price-promotions, emphasizing sensory properties of foods, or creating narratives that activated trends. Subsequently, real-life social activities frequently revolve around marketed foods that were not necessarily healthy. In contrast, physical activity posts were rarely being followed up in real life. Portrayals describing a toxic gym culture could contribute to negative perceptions of peers’ physical activity posts and a disinclination towards sharing such posts. Participants expressed that close, supportive social networks in real-life strongly influenced initiating and maintaining healthy lifestyles. However, in a society that highly values academic achievements, participants prioritized studying and socializing over healthy eating and physical activity. Conclusions: Overall, our findings reveal that virtual and real-life social influences have complex interactions affecting Asian young adults’ behavioral choices and should be considered when designing interventions for this group. Regulations related to the digital marketing of unhealthy food, and improving the availability, accessibility, and affordability of healthier food options, particularly in the foodservice sector, would be of value to consider.

Healthcare Service Providers’ Perspectives on Sociocultural Aspects Affecting Weight Management Activities Amongst People with Obesity in Taiwan—A Qualitative Study

“…As noted by the HSPs, it was difficult to promote physical activity when PwO did not have friends and family who were inclined to exercise. Leu et al [37] have found that, amongst Singaporean young adults, social networks and interests influence whether an individual takes part in physical activity; for instance, close acquaintances and joining groups with similar interests can help promote more exercise. Furthermore, weight stigma perpetuated by others in the community may increase the disinclination of PwO towards physical activity [38,39].…”

“…Furthermore, the prioritisation of educational and work performance throughout generations has meant that physical activity has not been cultivated as a regular and necessary activity to maintain health. In Singapore, another Asian country that also prioritises educational and work performance, tertiary education students prioritising their studies led to a lack of adequate physical activity [37]. Unless workarounds are found, these factors can have follow-on effects, such as PwO exercising only when certain conditions are met.…”

Exploring twitter discussions on healthy food: inspiring, access to healthy food for young, and nutritional economics in focus

“…The diversity of factors influencing food choices highlights the complexity of individuals' dietary choices. Social factors, including norms and expectations within the community, have a major influence on shaping an individual's eating habits (Basch et al, 2016;Alahmari et al, 2019;Leu et al, 2022). People may be influenced by social pressures from family, friends, or colleagues (Mahmoud et al, 2020), as well as by trends in online communities (Schubert et al, 2021;Reyes et al, 2022).…”

Realfood and Cancer: Analysis of the Reliability and Quality of YouTube Content

“…Concerns about diet and food intake have increased in recent years to the current situation where 60% of the population admit to being worried about long-term risks of the food they eat [ 28 ]. This has led to a considerable increase in food-related searches on the various platforms available on the Internet [ 29 , 30 , 31 ]. One example is the concept of “real food”, a movement that promotes the consumption of fresh or minimally processed foods, or foods whose industrial or artisanal processing has not altered the quality of the natural properties of the ingredients [ 32 ].…”