What adolescents see on Instagram: Content analysis of #intermittentfasting, #keto, and #lowcarb

Abstract

AbstractAimTo describe popular diet content visible on #intermittentfasting, #keto, and #lowcarb on adolescent social media accounts.MethodsAn adolescent Instagram profile captured 200 ‘top’ images from three popular diet hashtags (#intermittentfasting, #keto, and #lowcarb) across two timepoints. Images were coded using a pre‐determined ontology as food (core or discretionary; common foods/food groups), people (group, individual, before/after), or informative. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise these categories across hashtags.ResultsAt the time of first data collection, there were 3.8 million #intermittentfasting, 19 million #keto, and 22 million #lowcarb posts on Instagram. At the second timepoint there were 4.3 million #intermittentfasting, 21.5 million #keto, and 24.3 million #lowcarb posts. Images tagged #intermittentfasting were categorised as 44% food, 39% people, 10% information; #keto were 64% food, 28% people, 5% information; and #lowcarb were 69% food, 14% people, 16% information. Food images mostly depicted animal proteins (58.6% of #intermittentfasting; 62.9% of #keto; and 40.1% of #lowcarb). Images of people were individual (44%) or before/after (39%); mostly female (77%), of white (53%) ethnicity. Across all posts, 12.5% were linked to a commercial product/program, and 2.3% provided nutrition information.ConclusionDiet‐related images visible when adolescents search #intermittentfasting, #keto, and #lowcarb on Instagram promote animal‐based foods with or without vegetables. These diet hashtags on Instagram do not provide nutrition information and are not helpful for young people searching for diet information online.