The Impact of Social Media Influencers on Children's Dietary Behaviors

#junkfluenced: the marketing of unhealthy food and beverages by social media influencers popular with Canadian children on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok

BACKGROUND

Marketing of unhealthy foods to children on digital media significantly impacts their dietary preferences and contributes to diet-related noncommunicable diseases. Canadian children spend a significant amount of time on digital devices and are frequently exposed to unhealthy food marketing on social media, including by influencers with celebrity status who endorse products. This study aimed to examine the frequency, healthfulness, and power of unhealthy food marketing in posts by influencers popular with Canadian children on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.

METHODS

The top 9 influencers popular amongst Canadian children aged 10-12 years were identified from the 2021 International Food Policy Study Youth Survey. A total of 2,232 Instagram, YouTube and TikTok posts made by these influencers between June 1st 2021 and May 31st 2022 were examined for instances of food marketing. Food products/brands were identified and frequencies were calculated for the number of posts promoting food products/brands, posts promoting products/brands classified as less healthy according to Health Canada's Nutrient Profile Model (2018) and marketing techniques utilized.

RESULTS

YouTube had the highest average rate of food marketing instances per post, at a rate of 1 food marketing instance every 0.7 posts, while TikTok and Instagram had instances every 10.2 posts and 19.3 posts, respectively. Overall, fast food restaurants was the most promoted food category (21%), followed by regular soft drinks (13%), snacks (11%), candy and chocolate (11%) and water (8%). The most frequently used marketing techniques were appeals to fun/cool (37%), the use of songs or music (28%) and the product being consumed (25%). In terms of healthfulness, 83% of the products/brands (87% of brands and 82% of products) promoted were classified as less healthy.

CONCLUSIONS

Social media influencers play a substantial role in promoting unhealthy food products to children, primarily fast food items. Given the significant impact of such marketing on children, there is a need for ongoing government-led monitoring, and it is crucial to include social media and influencer marketing in marketing restrictions targeting children in Canada to safeguard this vulnerable demographic.

The food and beverage cues in digital marketing model: special considerations of social media, gaming, and livestreaming environments for food marketing and eating behavior research

Digital marketing to children, teens, and adults contributes to substantial exposure to cues and persuasive messages that drive the overconsumption of energy dense foods and sugary beverages. Previous food marketing research has focused on traditional media, but less is known about how marketing techniques translate within digital platforms, such as social media, livestreaming, and gaming. Building upon previous theories and models, we propose a new model entitled food and beverage cues in digital marketing (FBCDM). The FBCDM model specifies key marking elements and marketing integration strategies that are common on digital platforms and are hypothesized to enhance the effects of advertising and incentive sensitization process. FBCDM also categorizes measurable outcomes into three domains that include brand, food, and social outcomes. Additionally, repeated marketing exposure and the resulting outcomes are hypothesized to have long term consequences related to consumer markets, consumption behavior, culture, and health. We include a discussion of what is currently known about digital marketing exposure within the outcome domains, and we highlight gaps in research including the long-term consequences of digital marketing exposure. The FBCDM model provides a conceptual framework to guide future research to examine the digital marketing of food and beverages to children and adolescents in order to inform government and industry policies that restrict the aggressive marketing of products associated with obesity and adverse diet related outcomes.

Social Cognition in Adolescents with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD): Evidence from the Social Attribution Task

Social cognition impairments may explain social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD) in individuals with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). In a novel approach, the Social Attribution Task (SAT) was used to examine this association. SAT narratives were coded from 53 participants [n = 26 DLD; n = 27 typical language development (TLD)] matched on age (Mage = 13;6) and gender (35.9% female). Parents reported SEBD. Adolescents with DLD performed worse than their TLD peers on the majority of SAT indices and had higher peer (d = 1.09) and emotional problems (d = .75). There was no association between social cognition abilities and SEBD. These exploratory findings suggest social cognition should be further examined in this population.

How do social media influencers change adolescents' behavior? An evidence from Middle East Countries

Social Media Influencers (SMIs) refer to content creators, entertainment and art vloggers, online gamers, online streamers and any other activities related to social media. SMIs have gained significant portion of media today replacing tradition media and increasingly interacting in education, economy and entertainment world. The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of SMIs on adolescents' behavior including intellectual, social, ethical and healthy aspects from the adolescents' perception and perspectives in Middle East countries. Online survey included 27 items was structured and distributed in five Middle East countries. By using convenience sampling, 1612 adolescents (aged 12-22) have completed the questionnaire. Results revealed that SMIs have positive significant impact on adolescents' intellectual aspect while this impact was also significant but negative with different degrees on social, ethical health aspects of adolescents in Middle East countries. Results also revealed that Facebook, what's app and Instagram were the most dominants social media platforms used among adolescents in Middle East countries. This study yields major theoretical contribution as it explores the SMIs influence on adolescents in Middle East and building examination tool based on characteristics and culture of Middle East region.

Food Advertisement and Dietary Choices in Adolescents: An Overview of Recent Studies

Adolescents are exposed to food marketing through many routes, including television, movies, videos, print media, online games, and social media. The interplay between exposure to unhealthy food advertisements and food choices by adolescents is a field of special interest given the ongoing evolution of social media trends and marketing strategies. The purpose of this review was to synthesize the scientific findings in the last five years (2017–2022) regarding the possible influence of nutrition-related advertisements through television, social media, or video games on the choice and consumption of unhealthy foods and drinks in adolescents. Nineteen studies were included in this review. Adolescents exposed to unhealthy food and beverage advertising showed high desire and intention to consume the advertised foods, as evidenced by the majority of included studies. The effects of advertisements are reinforced by peer pressure and influencers and interact with socioeconomic, biological, and environmental factors. Food marketing represents part of the obesogenic environment of the present time.

Smartphone usage and dietary habits associated with sugar-sweetened beverages preferences among Indonesian female university students

High sugary beverages have recently gained popularity among young adults. This research aimed to determine the association between smartphone usage and dietary consumption of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages among young female adults in Indonesia. This cross-sectional study conducted an online survey in Malang City. There were 217 female university students aged 18-25 years old who were eligible as participants. The dependent variable was a preference for SSBs consumption, while the independent variables included sociodemographics, BMI, food allergies, smartphone usage, and dietary habits. Chi-square and binary logistics were used to analyse the association between independent variables and SSBs. The results showed that 62.2% of respondents preferred to consume SSBs, and 12.9% of participants were classified as overnutrition (BMI>25). More than half of the respondents had breakfast every day, and a majority of them like to consume high carbohydrates (96.8%) and high-sugar snacks (55.3%). The binary logistic regression showed an association between BMI status, breakfast consumption, watching movies, and eating frequency with high sugar beverage consumption preference (p<0.05). Reducing sugar beverages consumption intervention should consider using media accessible with smartphone.

The relationships between social media exposure, food craving, cognitive impulsivity and cognitive restraint

BACKGROUND

Young adults are increasingly exposed to social media and their image/video-based activities. They use these platforms to share images, videos and advice in different fields like food and nutrition with: recipe ideas, nutritional opinions or specific diets. Along with the rise of digital technologies, the prevalence of eating disorders in young adults continues to grow. The present study analyzes the psychological and eating processes through which exposure to social media may lead to the development of food craving and problematic eating behaviors.

METHODS

A total of 103 young adult men (n = 15) and women (n = 88) answered questionnaires measuring their impulsivity (Barratt Impulsiveness Scale), eating habits (Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire), food craving (Food Cravings Questionnaire-Trait-reduced), and time exposure to social media.

RESULTS

The results showed two significant serial mediations. We found a correlational link between time exposure to social media and food craving scores. This positive relation is indirectly mediated by cognitive impulsivity. We also found a positive correlation between cognitive impulsivity and food craving scores that was mediated by cognitive restraint.

CONCLUSION

A better understanding of the existing links between social media, food craving and eating behaviors such as cognitive restraint could help researchers and clinicians to better guide young adults in their use and appropriation of social media food contents.

Associations between adolescent and young adult External Food Cue Responsiveness (EFCR) and brand recall, product craving and product purchasing in the livestreaming food marketing environment

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the utility of three validated food responsiveness scales in measuring recall of, and responsiveness to, food marketing exposure on social media.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional survey among adolescents and adults who used the social media platform Twitch.tv (Twitch). Responsiveness to food marketing was self-reported as craving or purchasing any brands participants observed on Twitch. Participants completed three validated scales of food responsiveness: the revised 18-question Three Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ), the external eating subscale of the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ) and the External Food Cue Responsiveness (EFCR) scale. Adjusted linear regression models assessed the predictive ability of each scale on recall and responsiveness outcomes.

SETTING

Online survey.

PARTICIPANTS

Five hundred and sixty-eight Twitch users (90·1 % male, 60·6 % White, 43·7 % aged 18-24, 25·9 % under 18).

RESULTS

In separate adjusted linear regression models, scores on the TFEQ were not related to any outcome, while DEBQ scores related to product cravings (OR: 1·10, 95 % CI 1·01, 1·19, P = 0·02). In contrast, scores on the EFCR scale were significantly associated with higher brand recall (incident rate ratio: 1·42, 95 % CI 1·20, 1·68, P < 0·001), product craving (OR: 3·93, 95 % CI 2·22, 7·17, P < 0·001) and purchasing behaviour (OR: 3·97, 95 % CI 1·99, 8·26, P < 0·001). A subset of three EFCR scale items related to influencer marketing were similarly associated with each outcome with greater precision in the point estimates than the overall EFCR.

CONCLUSIONS

The EFCR scale predicted recall of and responsiveness to food marketing via Twitch, suggesting its utility in monitoring the effects of food marketing on social media.

Social network sites as learning environments and their implications for mental health

Social network sites (SNSs) have become ubiquitous around the globe and interwoven with all aspects of life. In this article, I will argue that the communicative infrastructure of SNSs, i.e., all SNS-elements that allow users to communicate, is a key element for understanding their impact as it creates environments in which users, their behaviors, and social interactions are embedded. These digital environments facilitate and encourage fundamental mechanisms of implicit learning from feedback as well as observation in an unprecedented way. I will discuss how these technology-based learning environments impact the mental health of their users, e.g., by linking negative online feedback to depression and following influencers to disturbed eating. The article ends with a conclusion that emphasizes the advantages of understanding SNSs as environments in order to reflect the complexity, relevance, and ubiquitousness of the phenomenon.

Effectiveness of Social Video Platforms in Promoting COVID-19 Vaccination Among Youth: A Content-Specific Analysis of COVID-19 Vaccination Topic Videos on Bilibili

Background

With the widespread promotion of the COVID-19 vaccination in China, videos about the vaccination have become increasingly available on social video platforms. With the User Generated Content model, different creators’ interpretations of COVID-19 vaccines may influence the attitudes towards the vaccines and vaccination.

Objective

To explore the overview of COVID-19 vaccine-related videos on Bilibili, discussing the communication effects of COVID-19 topic videos and its influencing factors.

Methods

A content analysis was applied to the 202 video samples obtained through data mining regarding the creator’s information, video presentation, and COVID-19 vaccine-related content.

Results

Individuals and medical professionals preferred VLOG videos, media chose to upload informational videos, and enterprises preferred to post showcase videos. Individuals were more likely to discuss the adverse reactions in their videos, while medical professionals were more likely to discuss the vaccination process for the COVID-19 vaccine. Videos with core issues positively influenced the video’s dissemination breadth. The attitudes toward the COVID-19 vaccine in the videos positively influence the recognition of the videos. The richness of knowledge points related to the COVID-19 vaccine negatively affected the recognition and participation.

Conclusion

Social video platforms could play an active role in the vaccination promotion for the youth. Health promotion-related departments and individuals could strengthen agenda setting, grasp the characteristics of young groups, and express positive attitudes toward health issues to achieve better health (vaccine) promotion.

Motivating Social Influencers to Engage in Health Behavior Interventions

Social influencers are widely known as the promotors of purchase behavior as well as for their potential to change health behaviors among individuals in their social networks. For social influencers to be successful in changing behaviors, it is essential that they convey their message in an authentic, original, credible, and persistent manner. In the context of health behavior interventions, this requires a focus on the motivation of social influencers to engage in the intervention. This perspective article describes the importance of motivating social influencers to engage in the desired health behaviors themselves and to promote it within their social network. We briefly describe the current state of knowledge and our empirical experience in implementing health interventions with social influencers. Using insights from self-determination theory, we demonstrate how social influencers can be motivated optimally in health behavior interventions and, thereby, improving the success of the intervention. To illustrate these insights and guide intervention practice, we provide concrete examples of techniques that can be applied in health interventions involving social influencers. We conclude with directions for further research and intervention practice to improve the delivery of health behavior interventions.

Impact of Thin-Ideals in Influencer Posts Promoting Healthy vs. Unhealthy Foods on Tweens' Healthy Food Choice Behavior

The current study examines how social media influencers can be deployed to promote healthy food choice behavior among tweens. In particular, we investigated whether tweens' healthy food choice behavior can be stimulated by using a thin-ideal influencer in a sponsored influencer post promoting unhealthy vs. healthy food. A two-by-two, between-subjects experimental study (influencer weight: thin-ideal vs. overweight; snack-type: unhealthy vs. healthy) was conducted with 146 tweens (11-13 years old, 73 boys). Results show that tweens' choice for a healthy snack was higher when a (female) overweight influencer promoted an unhealthy snack (compared to a healthy snack). Using a thin-ideal influencer promoting an unhealthy vs. healthy snack did not affect tweens' healthy food choices. While there were no interaction effects of influencer weight and snack type on source effects (influencer credibility, influencer admiration, and trans-parasocial interactions), the results did show that the influencer was perceived as less credible and was admired less when she was overweight vs. when she had a thin-ideal body-type.

Driving Consumer Value Co-creation and Purchase Intention by Social Media Advertising Value

Social media advertisement (ad) is a growing phenomenon designed to reach and engage customers. However, despite their continued adoption, less remains known regarding the effectiveness of social media ads to co-create brand value. In response to this gap, this study aims to deepen the theoretical understanding of consumer value co-creation through social media advertising value. The data were collected using purposive sampling from 286 experienced social-media users, and the model was tested using partial least square (PLS)-based structural equation modeling. The results indicate that entertainment, aesthetic appeal, interactivity, and trendiness significantly affect the adverting value of social media ads. In turn, ad value affects consumers' intention for value co-creation. Consequently, our findings suggest the importance of social media advertising value where marketers may enhance consumer-brand engagement (CBE) by incorporating interesting content, which may encourage the customer's interaction with the social media ads and strengthen value co-creation behavior. The results further contribute to nascent marketing literature by demonstrating that value co-creation acts as an antecedent to generating positive electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM) on social media platforms to drive consumers' online brand purchase intention.

Social Media and Children's and Adolescents' Diets: A Systematic Review of the Underlying Social and Physiological Mechanisms

The association between social media (SM) and children's and adolescents' diet is poorly understood. This systematic literature review aims to explore the role of SM in children's and adolescents' diets and related behaviors, considering also the underlying mechanisms. We searched Medline, Scopus, and CINAHL (2008-December 2021) for studies assessing the relation of SM exposure with food intake, food preference, dietary behaviors, and the underlying mechanisms (e.g., brain activation to digital food images-as proxy for SM food images) among healthy children and adolescents aged 2-18 y. A total of 35 articles were included. Of 4 studies, 1 found that exposure to peers' videos on healthy eating, but not SM influencers', increased vegetable intake. Most studies reported that SM was associated with skipping breakfast, increased intake of unhealthy snacks and sugar-sweetened beverages, and lower fruit and vegetable intake, independent of age. Children and adolescents exposed to unhealthy compared with healthy digital food images showed increased brain response in reward- and attention-related regions. The mechanisms underpinning the abovementioned associations were 1) physiological (appetitive state, increased neural response to portion size and energy density of food depicted) and 2) social (food advertising via SM influencers and peers). SM exposure leads to unfavorable eating patterns both in children and adolescents. The identified mechanisms may help tailor future health interventions. Downregulating SM advertising and limiting SM exposure to children and adolescents may improve food intake and subsequent health outcomes. The protocol of this review was registered in PROSPERO as CRD42020213977 (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/).

The Impact on Dietary Outcomes of Celebrities and Influencers in Marketing Unhealthy Foods to Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Celebrities, including influencers, are commonly used to market products that are high in fat, sugar, and salt (HFSS) to children but the impact on dietary outcomes has been unclear. The primary aim of this study was to systematically review the literature and quantify the impact of celebrities in HFSS marketing on children’s dietary outcomes. We searched eight databases and included studies from all countries and languages published from 2009 until August 2021. Participants were defined as under 16 years, exposure was marketing for HFSS products with a celebrity, and the outcomes were dietary preference, purchasing behaviors, and consumption of HFSS products. We were able to conduct a meta-analysis for consumption outcomes. Seven articles met the inclusion criteria, of which three were included in the meta-analysis. Under experimental conditions, the use of celebrities in HFSS marketing compared to non-food marketing was found to significantly increase consumption of the marketed HFSS product by 56.4 kcals (p = 0.021). There was limited evidence on the impact on preference or purchase intentions and on the comparisons between use and non-use of celebrities and influencers.

Food choice in transition: adolescent autonomy, agency, and the food environment

Dietary intake during adolescence sets the foundation for a healthy life, but adolescents are diverse in their dietary patterns and in factors that influence food choice. More evidence to understand the key diet-related issues and the meaning and context of food choices for adolescents is needed to increase the potential for impactful actions. The aim of this second Series paper is to elevate the importance given to adolescent dietary intake and food choice, bringing a developmental perspective to inform policy and programmatic actions to improve diets. We describe patterns of dietary intake, then draw on existing literature to map how food choice can be influenced by unique features of adolescent development. Pooled qualitative data is then combined with evidence from the literature to explore ways in which adolescent development can interact with sociocultural context and the food environment to influence food choice. Irrespective of context, adolescents have a lot to say about why they eat what they eat, and insights into factors that might motivate them to change. Adolescents must be active partners in shaping local and global actions that support healthy eating patterns. Efforts to improve food environments and ultimately adolescent food choice should harness widely shared adolescent values beyond nutrition or health.

Nutritional Analysis of Foods and Beverages Posted in Social Media Accounts of Highly Followed Celebrities

IMPORTANCE

Celebrity social media posts engage millions of young followers daily, but the nutritional quality of foods and beverages in such posts, sponsored and unsponsored, is unknown.

OBJECTIVE

To quantify the nutritional quality of foods and beverages depicted in social media accounts of highly followed celebrities and assess whether nutritional quality is associated with post sponsorship, celebrity profession or gender, and followers' likes and comments.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This cross-sectional study analyzed the content of food- and beverage-containing posts from Instagram (a photo- and video-sharing social media platform) accounts of 181 highly followed athletes, actors, actresses, television personalities, and music artists. Data were collected from May 2019 to March 2020.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

The nutritional quality of foods and beverages posted in celebrity social media accounts was rated using the Nutrient Profile Index (NPI) based on the sugar, sodium, energy, saturated fat, fiber, protein, and fruit and/or vegetable content per 100-g sample (a score of 0 indicated least healthy and 100, healthiest); foods with scores less than 64 and beverages with scores less than 70 were rated as "less healthy." Secondary outcomes were whether the nutritional quality of foods and beverages in social media posts was associated with post sponsorship, celebrity profession or gender, and followers' likes and comments. Mixed-effects regression models were used to estimate how outcomes differed across fixed effects.

RESULTS

The sample included social media accounts of 181 celebrities (66 actors, actresses, and television personalities [36.5%]; 64 music artists [35.4%]; and 51 athletes [28.2%]). A total of 102 celebrities (56.4%) were male, and the median age was 32 years (range, 17-73 years). Among 3065 social media posts containing 5180 total foods and beverages (2467 foods [47.6%]; 2713 beverages [52.4%]), snacks and sweets (920 [37.3%] of the foods) and alcoholic beverages (1375 [50.7%] of the beverages) were most common. Overall, 158 celebrity social media accounts (87.3%) earned a less healthy overall food nutrition score and 162 (89.5%) earned a less healthy overall beverage nutrition score, which would be unhealthy enough to fail legal youth advertising limits in the UK. For foods, social media posts with healthier nutrition scores were associated with significantly fewer likes (b, -0.003; 95% CI, -0.006 to 0.000; P = .04) and comments (b, -0.006; 95% CI, -0.009 to -0.003; P < .001) from followers. For beverages, nutrition scores were not significantly associated with likes (b, -0.010; 95% CI, -0.025 to 0.005; P = .18) or comments (b, -0.003; 95% CI, -0.022 to 0.016; P = .73). Only 147 food- or beverage-containing posts (4.8%) were sponsored by food- or beverage-relevant companies. Beverages in sponsored posts contained more than twice as much alcohol as those in nonsponsored posts (10.8 g [95% CI, 9.3 g to 12.3 g] per 100 g of beverage vs 5.3 g [95% CI, 4.7 g to 5.9 g] per 100 g of beverage).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

In this cross-sectional study, most highly followed celebrity social media accounts depicted an unhealthy profile of foods and beverages, primarily in nonsponsored posts. These results suggest that influential depictions of unhealthy food and beverage consumption on social media may be a sociocultural problem that extends beyond advertisements and sponsorships, reinforcing unhealthy consumption norms.

COVID-19 Pandemic, Personality and Geriatric Population: Proposed Pragmatism

The elderly population is a sensitive and delicate cohort of society who is being compelled to bear the significant smoulders of disruptive social behavior of humankind amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Our aim for this review was (1) to find out the root of disruption of societal integrity and self-centeredness by analyzing the spokes of HEXACO; (2) to delineate their possible relationships with the formation of Neuroticism and eventually Psychopathy, which have endangered human civilization the most in this pandemic; and (3) to search for the potential ways to get rid of these dark times. The constellation of different negative human behaviors probably originate from the negative deflection of components of the HEXACO model of personality towards the genesis of the dark triad. COVID-19 pandemic and upsurge of the dark triad in the form of Neuroticism, Narcissism and Machiavellianism potentially portend major mental health threats. Cultivation and practice of positive emotions and triumph of honesty, humility and humanity are imperative to save the mankind from the savagery of this pandemic.

Rising to the challenge: Introducing protocols to monitor food marketing to children from the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe

Unhealthy marketing has been unequivocally linked to children's food preferences, requests, purchases and eating behaviors and hence to childhood obesity. Regulating children's exposure to such marketing has been identified as a key challenge to which States must rise. Regulation mandates the need for monitoring and hence for credible data that are comparable between countries, regions and across time. However, there are major challenges presented by the complexity of the digital marketing ecosystem including the personalized targeting with persuasive, exploitative advertising to which children are subject. This narrative review identifies challenges faced by researchers in the digital ecosystem; reviews recent papers attempting to address these and specifies benefits and limitations; and introduces a set of WHO protocols with templates and guidance for studies of food marketing to children.

Food and drink marketing on social media and dietary intake in Australian adolescents: Findings from a cross-sectional survey

Unhealthy food and drink marketing is prominent on social media and use of such platforms is widespread among adolescents. This study aims to examine the association between exposure to and engagement with food or drink advertisements on social media and unhealthy food and drink intake in Australian adolescents. In 2018, a representative sample of secondary school students aged 12-17 years (N = 8708) self-reported how frequently they saw food or drink advertisements on social media (exposure), 'liked' or 'shared' food or drink posts (engagement), and consumption of various unhealthy food and drinks. Multilevel logistic regression assessed the association between exposure to and engagement with food marketing on social media and high intake of unhealthy food and drinks. Fifty-five percent of students reported seeing a food or drink advertisement on social media at least weekly, while engagement was less frequent. Exposure to a food or drink advertisement on social media at least once in the last week was associated with a high intake of unhealthy drinks, while liking or sharing a food or drink post at least once in the last month was associated with a high intake of unhealthy food and drinks (all p < 0.01). As frequency of engagement with this type of marketing increased, so too did the likelihood of a high intake of unhealthy food and drinks. The association between exposure to and engagement with food or drink marketing and high unhealthy drink intake was driven by males, while all associations persisted irrespective of age. Holding manufacturers to higher standards in their digital marketing of unhealthy food and drink products through improved policy design and enforcement capability may be crucial in enabling young individuals to maintain a healthy diet.

Twitch user perceptions, attitudes and behaviours in relation to food and beverage marketing on Twitch compared with YouTube

Influencer marketing may be amplified on livestreaming platforms (e.g., Twitch) compared with asynchronous social media (e.g., YouTube). However, food and beverage marketing on Twitch has not been evaluated at a user level. The present study aimed to compare users' self-reported exposure to food marketing and associated attitudes, consumption and purchasing behaviours on Twitch compared with YouTube. A survey administered via social media was completed by 621 Twitch users (90 % male, 64 % white, 69 % under 25 years old). Of respondents, 72 % recalled observing at least one food or beverage advertisement on Twitch. There were significant differences in the recall of specific brands advertised on Twitch (P < 0⋅01). After observing advertised products, 14 % reported craving the product and 8 % reported purchasing one. In chat rooms, 56 % observed conversations related to food and 25 % participated in such conversations. There were significant differences in the number of users who consumed various products while watching Twitch (P < 0⋅01). Of users who frequented YouTube (n 273), 65 % reported negative emotions when encountering advertising on YouTube compared with 40 % on Twitch (P < 0⋅01). A higher proportion felt Twitch's advertising primarily supported content creators (79 v. 54 %, P < 0⋅01), while a higher proportion felt that YouTube's advertising primarily supported the platform (49 v. 66 %, P < 0⋅01). The findings support that food marketing exposures on Twitch are noticeable, less bothersome to users and influence consumption and purchasing behaviours. Future studies are needed to examine how the livestreaming environment may enhance advertising effectiveness relative to asynchronous platforms.

What Do Social Media Influencers Say about Health? A Theory-Driven Content Analysis of Top Ten Health Influencers' Posts on Sina Weibo

Social media health influencers play an increasingly important role in disseminating health-related information to the public. To explore how health influencers in China communicate with their followers, we conducted a content analysis of the top ten health influencers' posts (n = 1000) on Sina Weibo guided by the Extended Parallel Processing Model (EPPM) and the transportation theory. These posts were coded in terms of demographic information, topics, message properties (informative, persuasive, and interactive), EPPM variables, and types of evidence (statistical and narrative) used. Results showed that these influencers had a clear emphasis on women's health (OB/GYN diseases and risks related to pregnancy and childcare) and beauty and skincare (in terms of risks and benefits). Overall, they used low fear appeal and high efficacy messages. However, messages containing efficacy information were less likely to be liked. These influencers relied heavily on narrative evidence; however, there was no significant relationship between the use of either narrative or statistical evidence and the number of likes. Differences in the communication strategies in posts about different diseases did exist but were not prevalent.

Preadolescents' healthy eating behavior: peeping through the social norms approach

BACKGROUND

The rising childhood obesity rate is a major public health challenge. The objective of this study is to examine key underlying mechanisms for peer-related social influence on preadolescents' healthy eating behavior by including factors closely linked with the quality of preadolescents' relationship with peers.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted in a convenience sample of 278 Lithuanian preadolescents, recruited from a public school. A questionnaire containing sociodemographic questions, questions about food intake, peer-related social norms of healthy eating, social self-efficacy, vegetable preference, need for peer approval and feeling of belonging were applied. Data was analyzed using structural equation modeling.

RESULTS

The results of the SEM showed that social self-efficacy predicts feeling of belonging to the peer group and need for peer approval. Feeling of belonging and need for peer approval predict actual intake of vegetables via injunctive norms of healthy eating. However, neither feeling of belonging nor need for peer approval predicted descriptive norms of healthy eating. Contrary to our expectations, descriptive norms were found to be unrelated with actual intake of vegetables, though vegetable preference predicted actual intake of vegetables. Vegetable preference was not predicted by injunctive or descriptive peers' social norms of healthy eating.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings of this study offer insight for informing parents, teachers and for social norms marketing interventions by stressing the importance of social relations when the aim is to encourage healthy eating among preadolescents.

Children's Health in the Digital Age

Environmental studies, metabolic research, and state of the art research in neurobiology point towards the reduced amount of natural day and sunlight exposure of the developing child, as a consequence of increasingly long hours spent indoors online, as the single unifying source of a whole set of health risks identified worldwide, as is made clear in this review of currently available literature. Over exposure to digital environments, from abuse to addiction, now concerns even the youngest (ages 0 to 2) and triggers, as argued on the basis of clear examples herein, a chain of interdependent negative and potentially long-term metabolic changes. This leads to a deregulation of the serotonin and dopamine neurotransmitter pathways in the developing brain, currently associated with online activity abuse and/or internet addiction, and akin to that found in severe substance abuse syndromes. A general functional working model is proposed under the light of evidence brought to the forefront in this review.