Impact of Social Media Influencer Marketing on Food Choices and Its Association With Eating Disorder Risk in University Aged Adults
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Background: University students are frequently exposed to social-media content that promotes food products, dieting practices, fitness ideals, and appearance norms, but its relationship with eating-disorder risk is multifactorial. Objective: To examine associations of social-media use and influencer marketing with food choices and EAT-16 scores among university-aged adults. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey included 262 students aged 18–25 years from five Lahore universities. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and binary logistic regression were used. Results: Women comprised 67.2% of participants and 58.8% had normal BMI. Social-media use correlated with EAT-16 score (r = 0.298, 95% CI 0.183 to 0.405; p < 0.001), and influencer-marketing score showed a smaller correlation (r = 0.190, 95% CI 0.070 to 0.304; p = 0.002). Social-media use and influencer-marketing scores were also correlated (r = 0.396, 95% CI 0.289 to 0.494; p < 0.001). Logistic regression associated social-media use with eating-disorder risk (OR 1.115; p = 0.008), whereas influencer marketing did not reach statistical significance (OR 1.087; p = 0.062); BMI category was associated with risk (OR 2.628; p = 0.023). Conclusion: Social-media exposure showed modest cross-sectional associations with eating attitudes, but causal effects were not established
Article Details
Issue
Section
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
References
1. Fardouly J, Diedrichs PC, Vartanian LR, Halliwell E. Social Comparisons on social media: the Impact of Facebook on Young women’s Body Image Concerns and Mood. Body Image. 2015;13(1):38–45.
2. Suhag K, Rauniyar S. Social Media Effects regarding Eating Disorders and Body Image in Young Adolescents. Cureus. 2024 Apr 21;16(4).
3. Rounsefell K, Gibson S, Mclean S, Blair M, Molenaar A, Brennan L, et al. social media, Body Image and Food Choices in Healthy Young adults: a Mixed Methods Systematic Review. Nutrition & Dietetics. 2019;77(1):19–40.
4. Grover A, Foreman J, Burckes-Miller M. “Infecting” those we care about: social network effects on body image. International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing. 2016;10(3):323–38.
5. Chung A, Vieira D, Donley T, Tan N, Jean-Louis G, Kiely Gouley K, et al. Adolescent peer influence via social media on eating behaviors: A scoping review. Journal of Medical Internet Research 2020 Apr 28;23(6).
6. Nasrullah MH, Haider MJ, Arif M, Zahid MN, Iftikhar S, Mahmood S, et al. eating disorders and disordered eating behaviors among undergraduate students in Pakistan as measured by EDE-Q. Cureus. 2024; 16(4): e59-158.
7. Silén Y, Keski-Rahkonen A. Worldwide prevalence of DSM-5 eating disorders among young people. Current Opinion in Psychiatry. 2022;35(6):362–371.
8. Xu Y, Yin C, Jia H, Li X, Zhao S, Lv Y, et al. Global, regional, and national burdens of eating disorders in adolescents and young adults aged 10–24 years from 1990 to 2021, with projections to 2040. Journal of Affective Disorders.2025;389:119680.
9. Ghazzawi HA, Nimer LS, Haddad AJ, et al. Prevalence of self-reported disordered eating among athletes worldwide. Journal of Eating Disorders. 2024;12(1).
10. Sara Bocci Benucci, Fioravanti G, Silvestro V, et al. The Impact of Following Instagram Influencers on Women’s Body Dissatisfaction and Eating Disorder Symptoms. Nutrients. 2024;16(16):2730.
11. Karam J, Bouteen C, Mahmoud Y, Tur JA, Bouzas C. The Relationship between Social Media Use and Body Image in Lebanese University Students. Nutrients. 2023;15(18):3961.
12. Abell A, Biswas D. Digital engagement on social media: how food image content influences social media and influencer marketing outcomes. Journal of Interactive Marketing. 2022;58(1).
13. Hudders L, De Jans S. Gender effects in influencer marketing. International Journal of Advertising. 2022;41(1):1–22.
14. Saiz BC, Soria AM, Fernández BF. Influencer marketing and health repercussions. International Journal of Internet Marketing and Advertising. 2026;24(1):28–45.
15. Chandwani D, Singh V, Meena S. Impact of social media on Dietary Choices of Adolescents and Young Adults. European Journal of Nutrition & Food Safety, 2025;17(3):81–87.
16. Kucharczuk AJ, Oliver TL, Dowdell EB. Social media’s influence on adolescents’ food choices. Appetite. 2021; 168:105765.
17. Tsochantaridou A, Sergentanis TN, Grammatikopoulou MG, et al Food Advertisement and Dietary Choices in Adolescents. Children. 2023;10(3):442.
18. Abell A, Biswas D. Digital Engagement on social media. Journal of Interactive Marketing. 2022;58(1).
19. Misra A, Dinh TD, Ewe SY. The more followers the better? The impact of food influencers on consumer behaviour. British Food Journal. 2024;126(12):4018–4035.
20. Aljefree NM, Alhothali GT. Exposure to Food Marketing via social media and Obesity among University Students in Saudi Arabia. IJERPH. 2022;19(10):5851.
21. Zaharia A, Gonța I. The healthy eating movement on social media and its psychological effects on body image. Frontiers in Nutrition.2024;11:1474729.
22. Khansa Ranbia Audreyzovna Olova, Andi Windah, Riza A, Nurhaida I. Influence of Social Media Mukbang Contents Towards Adolescent Food Consumption Behavior.2024;2(2).
23. Gokce A, Ozer A. The relationship between problematic cell phone use, eating disorders and social anxiety among university students. Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences. 2021 Apr 24;37(4).
24. Holland G, Tiggemann M. A systematic review of the impact of social networking sites on body image and disordered eating. Body Image. 2016; 17:100–110.
25. Shama Sadaf, Safdar M, Amjad N. Effect of social media on Food Choices of University Students. Effect of social media on Food Choices of University Students. 2023 Dec 30;4(4):32–42.
26. Coates AE, Hardman CA, Halford JCG, Christiansen P, Boyland EJ. Social media food marketing and its influence on eating behaviour: A systematic review. Nutrients. 2019;11(9):2222.
27. Sajid O, Dr. Asma Zeeshan, Alam DS, Dr. Charles Ramendran, Abdulkarim D, M Jamal Kanaan-Jebna. The role of social media influencers in shaping organic food purchase intentions. Journal of Media Horizons;6(3):1184–93.
28. Boyland EJ, Halford JCG. Television advertising and branding effects on eating behaviour and food preferences. Appetite. 2013; 62:236–241.
29. Garner DM, Olmsted MP, Bohr Y, Garfinkel PE. The Eating Attitudes Test: Psychometric features and clinical correlates. Psychol Med. 1982;12(4):871–878.
30. Cohen R, Newton-John T, Slater A. The relationship between social media use and disordered eating. Eat Behav. 2017; 23:1–5.
31. Perloff RM. Social media effects on young women’s body image concerns: Theoretical perspectives and empirical findings. Psychol Pop Media Cult. 2014;3(4):316–327