ASSOCIATION BETWEEN SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND EATING BEHAVIORS OF YOUNG ADULTS IN PAKISTAN

Background: Healthy eating habits play a key role in developing and sustaining a sound body. Over the past decade, the eating behaviors of people have changed under the influence of a variety of factors. Social media is argued to be one of the strong factors to alter food choices and dietary patterns, especially among young adults. Objectives: This study is aimed at exploring the impact of using social media on the eating behavior of young adults in Pakistan. Methodology: This study utilized a structured online questionnaire that inquired about demographic information in the initial step and then questions related to social media usage and eating habits were asked. Altogether 250 participants, including both males and females participated in this study, with the age ranging from 16 to 30 years. Results: To analyze the data, descriptive statistics, as well as exploratory factor analysis, were employed. The results display that 98% of the participants use social media for social networking, and 37% of them sometimes purchase food online. 19 items showed no significant correlation; however, only three items had P value < 0.05, depicting a significant association between Facebook and YouTube usage and eating behaviors. Conclusion: Overall in this study a significant relationship between Facebook and YouTube usage and increased fast food consumption, snaking while surfing and diet regulation according to information on social media was observed. However as only three (item 9, item 12, and item 16) out of 22 items showed a significant relationship between Facebook and YouTube usage and eating behaviors; therefore, there is no sufficient evidence to conclude the impact of using social media on the eating behavior of study participants.