P160 Healthy Food, As Told by TikTok: A Thematic Analysis of the Most Liked #healthyrecipes on TikTok

Abstract

<h3>Background</h3> As a growing video-sharing platform with massive reach, TikTok is shaping food culture through the popular hashtag #healthyrecipes. TikTok videos have the ability to influence health attitudes and behaviors, yet little is known about what characterizes the healthy food landscape on TikTok. <h3>Objective</h3> This study describes the healthy food landscape on TikTok by addressing the research question: How do the most popular healthy recipe videos on TikTok define healthy food? <h3>Study Design, Setting, Participants</h3> Inductive qualitative coding was used to perform a thematic analysis of the most liked videos on TikTok with the hashtag #healthyrecipes. The top 150 videos were cataloged and downloaded over 3 consecutive days in early November 2021. Video visuals, audio, captions, and hashtags were included in the dataset. <h3>Measurable Outcome/Analysis</h3> An initial review excluded 40 videos, which were predominantly non-English, presented technical issues, or shared similar messages from the same creator. A multi-phase qualitative analysis was conducted among the final sample (n = 110) using inductive coding methods. The code frame was iteratively developed by a collaborative team of researchers, and each video was independently coded by two researchers employing Dedoose software. Codes were consolidated into themes and sub-themes to address the primary research question. <h3>Results</h3> Three overarching themes were identified: approachability, moral values, and appropriation/wellness culture. Within these three themes, five sub-themes emerged: plant-based/vegan, simple/few ingredients, ingredient-based wellness trends, habit-promoting, and providing functional benefit. <h3>Conclusions</h3> TikTok provides a platform for examining broader perceptions of health in food culture. The themes uncovered present an opportunity for nutrition educators to take a critical approach in understanding how social media platforms amplify polarizing wellness culture ideas and further shape health messaging. Healthy food, as told by TikTok, upholds a common contradiction in the public health sphere: healthy food can be both approachable and exclusionary. <h3>Funding</h3> None