September 2016 Article Abstract

The Association between Social Media Use and Eating Concerns among US Young Adults

Jaime E. Sidani, PhD, MPH, Ariel Shensa, MA, Beth Hoffman, Janel Hanmer, MD, PhD,Brian A. Primack, MD, PhD

Eating disorders are a significant health issue in the United States.  Recent diagnostic and statistical data estimates that the development of an eating disorders by age 20 years is approximately .08% for anorexia nervosa (AN) and 11.5% for feeding or eating disorder not elsewhere classified.  Additionally, the prevalence of a subclinical eating disorder is much higher than diagnosed numbers.  These numbers are concerning because eating disorders can lead to medical complications and an increased mortality rate.

While the etiology of eating disorders incudes multiple factors, exposure to media is associated with the development of an eating concern.  The association between media and eating disorders is likely a reflection of thin-ideal internalization.  One study by Syed-Abdul et al. (2013) looking at AN videos on YouTube found that “pro-anorexia” videos were more likely to be highly favored with higher ratings by its viewers than more prevalent “informative,” AN health consequences, videos.  Although numerous studies such as Syed-Abdul et al. (2013) have researched specific social media platforms and eating disorders, the study by Sidani et al. (2016) explored the links between social media use and eating disorders by examining the association between volume and frequency of social media use across several media platforms.

Over 1,700 young adults aged 19 to 32 years participated in the study.   To determine participant’s eating concerns, dependent variable, the SCOFF Questionnaire and the Eating Disorder Screen for Primary Care were adapted to create an eating concerns scale.  The independent variable, social media use was assessed by volume (time per day) and frequency (visits per week) using participant self-reported estimations.

The results from this study indicate a significant positive linear association between social media use and eating concerns for young American adults aged 19 to 32 years.  This association was found with both volume and frequency variables.  The study’s results suggest that the association between social media and eating disorders is not limited to young women, men and older age groups can also be effected.  These results indicate the need for eating disorder prevention messages associated with social media to be appropriate for a general population. 

AND Continuing Education Article:

Sidani, J. E., Shensa, A., Hoffman, B., Hanmer, J., & Primack, B. A. (2016). The association between social media use and eating concerns among US young adults. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 116(9), 1465-1472. doi:10.1016/j.jand.2016.03.021  

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2016.03.021

Supplemental Article:

Syed-Abdul, S., Fernandez-Luque, L., Jian, W., Li, Y., Crain, S., Hsu, M, et al. Liou, D. (2013). Misleading health-related information promoted through video-based social media: Anorexia on YouTube. Journal of Medication Internet Research, 15(2):e30. doi:10.2196/jmir.2237  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23406655?dopt=Abstract