Social Media and Nutritional Habits among nutrition students: A Social Work Perspective

Abstract

Introduction: According to the research conducted in recent years and after the evolution of social networks, the statistics of obesity and the consumption of fast foods and high-calorie foods have increased significantly. Also, food blogging has become much more widespread and popular in the space of social networks, so we are investigating the impact of social networks on people's nutritional habits.Material and Methods: The purpose of this research is to examine the relationship and impact of social networks on people's nutritional habits. For this research, a 20-question questionnaire was answered by 60 college students and the obtained data was analyzed by SPSS 26.Results: The most social media has been used are Instagram, Telegram, and YouTube, and 22% use social media between 3 and 4 hours a day. More than 58% used ready food less than 2 days a week. But 56% of them reported that social media didn’t have a noticeable effect on their informed decision in choosing food.Conclusion: This study showed that the use of social media can be effective in people's lifestyle and food pattern and food intake.