Characteristics and correlates of the use of social media for nutrition among young adults in the United Arab Emirates.

BACKGROUND

The utilization of social media (SM) is widespread among young adults; nevertheless, there is limited understanding regarding their use for obtaining nutrition information. This study aimed to examine the characteristics and determinants of using SM for nutrition information amongst young adults in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

METHODS

A multicomponent questionnaire was emailed to all students attending the largest university in the country. The questionnaire addressed, in addition to sociodemographic information, the characteristics of SM use for nutrition information such as the various platforms, frequency, type, features, sharing information with family/friends and healthcare professionals, as well as the reasons for use. Descriptives and logistic regressions were used in data analysis. Within the regression models, the outcome variable was whether participants used SM to obtain nutrition information.

RESULTS

Among a sample of 400 respondents, 261 (65.2%) reported utilizing social media (SM) to access nutrition information. The predominant platform for this purpose was Instagram, followed by Snapchat. When participants were queried about the most critical feature of SM for obtaining nutrition information, 63.6% indicated a preference for ease of use, whereas only 12.6% emphasized the importance of information being supported by scientific evidence. A large majority of respondents (93%) disclosed that they shared nutritional information obtained from SM with their friends and family; however, 60% reported that they never shared such information with healthcare providers. Interestingly, over 90% of participants expressed an interest in leveraging SM platforms to communicate with healthcare providers. The leading motivations for using SM for nutrition-related purposes included seeking "healthy eating and recipes" as well as "body weight management." Additionally, females and individuals actively attempting to lose weight exhibited a higher propensity to engage with SM for nutrition insights (OR:1.94,CI:1.13-3.31; OR:1.62,CI:1.05-2.52, respectively), while those with any health condition were less likely (OR: 0.41,CI: 0.18-0.9).

CONCLUSIONS

The study findings showed that the use of SM to access nutritional information is common among young adults. It further highlighted some concerns related to the validity and safe use of the acquired information with little attention to the robustness of the scientific evidence or willingness to discuss the information with healthcare providers. The study presents an opportunity to formulate evidence-based public health interventions to utilize various SM platforms in the promotion of healthy nutrition and lifestyle habits among young adults.