Nutrition-Related Information on Instagram: A Content Analysis of Posts by Popular Australian Accounts
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Ethics
2.2. Instagram Account Sample Selection
2.3. Instagram Post Sample Selection
2.4. Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Recipes
“…V GF DF RSF [vegan, gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free] Ingredients: … 1 1/2 tbsp coconut oil 1 tbsp maple syrup 1 tsp vanilla extract Pinch of greens powder…”—Recipes/meal ideas, followers: 154,318
“Learn how to make a creamy vegan dip using cashews and veggies that everyone can enjoy! Find our Instagram exclusive recipe below…”—Brand, followers: 202,815
“…TIRAMISU BREAKFAST JARS • INGREDIENTS: « 4 tbsp chia seeds « 1 cup almond milk « 2 heaped tbsp coconut yoghurt Choc Layer: « 1 serve [brand] Vegan Triple Choc Fudge Protein Powder…”—Brand, followers: 194,224
3.2. Food and Nutrition Practices
“With clinically proven collagen peptides plus bioavailable Vitamin C and Zinc, [supplement name] is the most targeted formulation for hair growth, strength and overall quality—along with improving skin, nails and gut health. Shop via link in bio [brand] #collagenbeauty”—Brand, followers: 167,440
“Pomegranate has anti-oxidant, anti-viral and anti-tumour properties and is said to be a good source of vitamins, especially vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin E, as well as folic acid.”—Lifestyle influencer, followers: 123,642
3.3. Body Goals
“Amazing transformation from my client [name] from Sweden. One huge mistake a lot of women tend to make is spending too much time in a deficit. A deficit is essential for a fat loss phase but if you want to build muscle and change the shape of your body, you must spend time building your physique and fueling it with maintenance/surplus calories.”—Fitness/coaching influencer, followers: 246,547
“…consider my premium [weight loss program]… Personalised plans to help you conquer emotional eating!!!”—Nutritionist/dietitian, followers: 302,464
3.4. Food Literacy
“Depending on where you are in the world the word biscuit means different things. In America, the biscuit is a thick, savoury square similar to Australian scones… [This] recipe dots cheese and slices of soppressa throughout for a flaky biscuit that’ll have you forgetting fried chicken.”—TV show/magazine, followers: 253,792
“If you love a one-pan wonder as much as we do, you have to try our recipe for a classic chicken cacciatore. It’s the perfect weekday meal for all the family.”—TV show/magazine, followers: 212,301
“It features specific buckwheat noodles made using buckwheat and a combination of starches giving them a delightful springy texture…”—TV show/magazine, followers: 253,792
3.5. Home
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
- Kemp, S. Digital 2023: Global Overview Report; Meltwater: Vancouver, BC, Canada, 2023. [Google Scholar]
- We Are Social. Digital 2023—Australia; Hootsuite: Vancouver, BC, Canada, 2023. [Google Scholar]
- De Veirman, M.; Cauberghe, V.; Hudders, L. Marketing through Instagram influencers: The impact of number of followers and product divergence on brand attitude. Int. J. Advert 2017, 36, 798–828. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef][Green Version]
- Pilgrim, K.; Bohnet-Joschko, S. Selling health and happiness how influencers communicate on Instagram about dieting and exercise: Mixed methods research. BMC Public Health 2019, 19, 1054. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed][Green Version]
- Kim, D.Y.; Kim, H.-Y. Trust me, trust me not: A nuanced view of influencer marketing on social media. J. Bus. Res. 2021, 134, 223–232. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Hootsuite. How to Use Instagram for Business in 2023: 6 Pro Tips. Available online: https://blog.hootsuite.com/how-to-use-instagram-for-business/ (accessed on 16 February 2023).
- Mediakix. What Is the Best Social Media Channel for Influencer Marketing? Available online: https://mediakix.com/blog/how-to-choose-social-media-channels-influencer-marketing/ (accessed on 31 March 2022).
- World Health Organization. Digital Food Environments; World Health Organization: Geneva, Switzerland, 2021. [Google Scholar]
- Mete, R.; Shield, A.; Murray, K.; Bacon, R.; Kellett, J. What is healthy eating? A qualitative exploration. Public Health Nutr. 2019, 22, 2408–2418. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Doub, A.E.; Small, M.L.; Levin, A.; LeVangie, K.; Brick, T.R. Identifying users of traditional and Internet-based resources for meal ideas: An association rule learning approach. Appetite 2016, 103, 128–136. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef][Green Version]
- Lambert, M.; Chivers, P.; Farringdon, F. In their own words: A qualitative study exploring influences on the food choices of university students. Health Promot. J. Austr. 2019, 30, 66–75. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed][Green Version]
- Vaterlaus, J.M.; Patten, E.V.; Roche, C.; Young, J.A. #Gettinghealthy: The perceived influence of social media on young adult health behaviors. Comput. Human Behav. 2015, 45, 151–157. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Coates, A.E.; Hardman, C.A.; Halford, J.C.G.; Christiansen, P.; Boyland, E.J. Social Media Influencer Marketing and Children’s Food Intake: A Randomized Trial. Pediatrics 2019, 143, e20182554. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed][Green Version]
- Rounsefell, K.; Gibson, S.; McLean, S.; Blair, M.; Molenaar, A.; Brennan, L.; Truby, H.; McCaffrey, T.A. Social media, body image and food choices in healthy young adults: A mixed methods systematic review. Nutr. Diet 2019, 77, 19–40. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Muralidhara, S.; Paul, M.J. #Healthy Selfies: Exploration of Health Topics on Instagram. JMIR Public Health Surveill. 2018, 4, e10150. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef][Green Version]
- Walsh, M.J.; Baker, S.A. Clean eating and Instagram: Purity, defilement, and the idealization of food. Food Cult. Amp; Soc. 2020, 23, 570–588. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Pilař, L.; Stanislavská, L.K.; Kvasnička, R.; Hartman, R.; Tichá, I. Healthy Food on Instagram Social Network: Vegan, Homemade and Clean Eating. Nutrients 2021, 13, 1991. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- de Jesus Oliveira Mota, J.; de Almeida, L.C.; Sarges Neves, V.H.; da Silva, E.B.; de Almeida Oliveira, D. Analysis of posts contents on food posted by digital influencers on the Instagram social media. DEMETRA Food Nutr. Health 2019, 14, 1–18. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Elo, S.; Kääriäinen, M.; Kanste, O.; Pölkki, T.; Utriainen, K.; Kyngäs, H. Qualitative Content Analysis. SAGE Open 2014, 4, 215824401452263. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- O’Brien, B.C.; Harris, I.B.; Beckman, T.J.; Reed, D.A.; Cook, D.A. Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research. Acad. Med. 2014, 89, 1245–1251. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Berger, R. Now I see it, now I don’t: Researcher’s position and reflexivity in qualitative Research. Qual. Res. 2013, 15, 219–234. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- StarNgage. Top Health Instagram Influencers in Australia in 2021. Available online: https://starngage.com/app/global/influencer/ranking/australia/health (accessed on 20 April 2021).
- Vidgen, H.A.; Gallegos, D. Defining food literacy and its components. Appetite 2014, 76, 50–59. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Whatman, P. Instagram Statistics: The Big Lessons from Our Study of 115 Million Posts. Available online: https://mention.com/en/blog/instagram-statistics-report/#:~:text=Instagram%20posts%20get%20an%20average%20of%201%2C261%20likes&text=For%20most%20of%20us%2C%20a,Now%20remember%2C%20thats%20the%20average (accessed on 24 March 2022).
- Lewis, S.C.; Zamith, R.; Hermida, A. Content Analysis in an Era of Big Data: A Hybrid Approach to Computational and Manual Methods. J. Broadcast. Electron. Media 2013, 57, 34–52. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Crofts, K.; Bisman, J. Interrogating accountability. Qual. Res. Account. Manag. 2010, 7, 180–207. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Baden, C.; Kligler-Vilenchik, N.; Yarchi, M. Hybrid Content Analysis: Toward a Strategy for the Theory-driven, Computer-assisted Classification of Large Text Corpora. Commun. Methods Meas. 2020, 14, 165–183. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Leximancer. Leximancer. Available online: https://info.leximancer.com/ (accessed on 1 July 2020).
- Smith, A.E.; Humphreys, M.S. Evaluation of unsupervised semantic mapping of natural language with Leximancer concept mapping. Behav. Res. Methods 2006, 38, 262–279. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed][Green Version]
- Leximancer. Leximancer User Guide, Release 4.5; Leximancer: Brisbane, Australia, 2021. [Google Scholar]
- Wilk, V.; Cripps, H.; Capatina, A.; Micu, A.; Micu, A.-E. The state of #digitalentrepreneurship: A big data Leximancer analysis of social media activity. Int. Entrep. Manag. J. 2021, 17, 1899–1916. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Mills, S.; White, M.; Brown, H.; Wrieden, W.; Kwasnicka, D.; Halligan, J.; Robalino, S.; Adams, J. Health and social determinants and outcomes of home cooking: A systematic review of observational studies. Appetite 2017, 111, 116–134. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Nelson, A.M.; Fleming, R. Gender differences in diet and social media: An explorative study. Appetite 2019, 142, 104383. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Tricas-Vidal, H.J.; Vidal-Peracho, M.C.; Lucha-López, M.O.; Hidalgo-García, C.; Lucha-López, A.C.; Monti-Ballano, S.; Corral-de Toro, J.; Márquez-Gonzalvo, S.; José Miguel, T.-M. Nutrition-Related Content on Instagram in the United States of America: Analytical Cross-Sectional Study. Foods 2022, 11, 239. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Dickinson, K.M.; Watson, M.S.; Prichard, I. Are Clean Eating Blogs a Source of Healthy Recipes? A Comparative Study of the Nutrient Composition of Foods with and without Clean Eating Claims. Nutrients 2018, 10, 1440. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef][Green Version]
- Chan, T.; Drake, T.; Vollmer, R.L. A qualitative research study comparing nutrition advice communicated by registered Dietitian and non-Registered Dietitian bloggers. J. Commun. Healthc. 2020, 13, 55–63. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Mete, R.; Curlewis, J.; Shield, A.; Murray, K.; Bacon, R.; Kellett, J. Reframing healthy food choices: A content analysis of Australian healthy eating blogs. BMC Public Health 2019, 19, 1711. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Carbonneau, E.; Lamarche, B.; Provencher, V.; Desroches, S.; Robitaille, J.; Vohl, M.-C.; Bégin, C.; Bélanger, M.; Couillard, C.; Pelletier, L.; et al. Associations Between Nutrition Knowledge and Overall Diet Quality: The Moderating Role of Sociodemographic Characteristics—Results from the PREDISE Study. Am. J. Health Promot. 2021, 35, 38–47. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Rogers, A.; Wilkinson, S.; Downie, O.; Truby, H. Communication of nutrition information by influencers on social media: A scoping review. Health Promot. J. Aust. Off. J. Aust. Assoc. Health Promot. Prof. 2021, 33, 657–676. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Lim, M.S.C.; Molenaar, A.; Brennan, L.; Reid, M.; McCaffrey, T. Young Adults’ Use of Different Social Media Platforms for Health Information: Insights From Web-Based Conversations. J. Med. Internet Res. 2022, 24, e23656. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Statista. Social Media Advertising—Global Market Forecast. Available online: https://www.statista.com/outlook/dmo/digital-advertising/social-media-advertising/worldwide (accessed on 14 February 2023).
- Kaur, K.; Kumar, P. Social media: A blessing or a curse? Voice of owners in the beauty and wellness industry. TQM J. 2022, 34, 1039–1056. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Suarez-Lledo, V.; Alvarez-Galvez, J. Prevalence of Health Misinformation on Social Media: Systematic Review. J. Med. Internet Res. 2021, 23, e17187. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Australian Bureau of Statistics. Australian Health Survey: Usual Nutrient Intakes, 2011–2012 Financial Year. Available online: https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/health-conditions-and-risks/australian-health-survey-usual-nutrient-intakes/latest-release (accessed on 16 February 2023).
- Wagner, D.N.; Marcon, A.R.; Caulfield, T. “Immune Boosting” in the time of COVID: Selling immunity on Instagram. Allergy Asthma Clin. Immunol. 2020, 16, 76. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Kelly, B.; Bosward, R.; Freeman, B. Australian Children’s Exposure to, and Engagement With, Web-Based Marketing of Food and Drink Brands: Cross-sectional Observational Study. J. Med. Internet Res. 2021, 23, e28144. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Marks, R.J.; De Foe, A.; Collett, J. The pursuit of wellness: Social media, body image and eating disorders. Child. Youth Serv. Rev. 2020, 119, 105659. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Ghaznavi, J.; Taylor, L.D. Bones, body parts, and sex appeal: An analysis of #thinspiration images on popular social media. Body Image 2015, 14, 54–61. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Jebeile, H.; Partridge, S.R.; Gow, M.L.; Baur, L.A.; Lister, N.B. Adolescent Exposure to Weight Loss Imagery on Instagram: A Content Analysis of “Top” Images. Child. Obes. 2021, 17, 241–248. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Jebeile, H.; Lister, N.B.; Baur, L.A.; Garnett, S.P.; Paxton, S.J. Eating disorder risk in adolescents with obesity. Obesity Reviews 2021, 22, e13173. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Stice, E.; Marti, C.N.; Durant, S. Risk factors for onset of eating disorders: Evidence of multiple risk pathways from an 8-year prospective study. Behav. Res. Ther. 2011, 49, 622–627. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef][Green Version]
- Butterfly Foundation. Risks and Warning Signs. Available online: https://butterfly.org.au/eating-disorders/risks-and-warning-signs/ (accessed on 15 February 2023).
- Holland, G.; Tiggemann, M. A systematic review of the impact of the use of social networking sites on body image and disordered eating outcomes. Body Image 2016, 17, 100–110. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Fitzsimmons-Craft, E.E.; Krauss, M.J.; Costello, S.J.; Floyd, G.M.; Wilfley, D.E.; Cavazos-Rehg, P.A. Adolescents and young adults engaged with pro-eating disorder social media: Eating disorder and comorbid psychopathology, health care utilization, treatment barriers, and opinions on harnessing technology for treatment. Eat. Weight. Disord.—Stud. Anorex. Bulim. Obes. 2020, 25, 1681–1692. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Easton, S.; Morton, K.; Tappy, Z.; Francis, D.; Dennison, L. Young People’s Experiences of Viewing the Fitspiration Social Media Trend: Qualitative Study. J. Med. Internet Res. 2018, 20, e219. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef][Green Version]
- Wilkins, J.L. Challenges and Opportunities Created by the COVID-19 Pandemic. J. Nutr. Educ. Behav. 2020, 52, 669–670. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Ronto, R.; Nanayakkara, J.; Worsley, A.; Rathi, N. COVID-19 & culinary behaviours of Australian household food gatekeepers: A qualitative study. Appetite 2021, 167, 105598. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Gammon, K. Kneading to relax? How Coronavirus Prompted a Surge in Stress Baking. Available online: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/apr/19/coronavirus-stress-baking-sourdough-kneading-relax (accessed on 20 February 2023).
- BBC News. Instagram Clamps Down on Diet and Cosmetic Surgery Posts. Available online: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-49746065 (accessed on 17 February 2023).
- Judkis, M. Instagram Bans ‘Thinspiration’, Pro-Eating Disorder Images. Available online: https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/arts-post/post/instagram-bans-thinspiration-pro-eating-disorder-images/2012/04/24/gIQAXLeaeT_blog.html (accessed on 17 February 2023).
Instagram Account Category | Followers (Mean) | Followers (Standard Deviation) | Engagement * (Mean) | Engagement * (Standard Deviation) | Total Posts in Sample (n) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
All (n = 61) | 279,505 | 267,541 | 1854 | 3704 | 10,964 |
Brand (n = 23) | 228,599 | 104,240 | 885 | 1778 | 5698 |
Media entity (n = 5) | 293,338 | 63,287 | 1219 | 1037 | 1850 |
Recipes/meal ideas (n = 11) | 256,212 | 106,207 | 2452 | 2512 | 1681 |
Fitness/coaching influencer (n = 8) | 448,946 | 266,285 | 4493 | 6612 | 749 |
Nutritionist or dietitian influencer (n = 8) | 252,589 | 215,935 | 3880 | 7054 | 634 |
Lifestyle influencer (n = 6) | 275,773 | 161,766 | 2979 | 4387 | 352 |
Theme | Hits | Engagement (Mean ± Standard Deviation) | Concept | Count | Relevance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ingredients * Recipes ** | 14,289 | 1382 ± 2061 | ingredients | 7265 | 100% |
cup | 6140 | 85% | |||
bowl | 5783 | 82% | |||
coconut | 5690 | 78% | |||
oil | 5324 | 73% | |||
mix | 5298 | 73% | |||
powder | 5263 | 72% | |||
method | 5180 | 71% | |||
tsp | 5150 | 71% | |||
baking | 4991 | 69% | |||
milk | 4904 | 67% | |||
minutes | 4875 | 67% | |||
vanilla | 4871 | 67% | |||
butter | 4797 | 66% | |||
protein | 4794 | 66% | |||
chocolate | 4712 | 65% | |||
syrup | 4540 | 62% | |||
almond | 4338 | 60% | |||
salt | 4322 | 59% | |||
oven | 4140 | 57% | |||
blend | 3767 | 52% | |||
water | 3725 | 51% | |||
vegan | 2905 | 40% | |||
sugar | 2858 | 39% | |||
garlic | 1769 | 24% | |||
cook | 1741 | 24% | |||
flavour | 1718 | 24% | |||
natural | 1503 | 21% | |||
organic | 1398 | 19% | |||
rice | 1279 | 18% | |||
cake | 1036 | 14% | |||
pasta | 781 | 11% | |||
red | 755 | 10% | |||
Healthy * Food and nutrition practices ** | 12,051 | 1053 ± 2102 | healthy | 5182 | 71% |
food | 2736 | 38% | |||
day | 2533 | 35% | |||
shop | 2449 | 34% | |||
support | 2123 | 29% | |||
vitamin | 1963 | 27% | |||
free | 1769 | 24% | |||
energy | 1612 | 22% | |||
skin | 1519 | 21% | |||
contains | 1451 | 20% | |||
muscle | 1353 | 19% | |||
best | 1257 | 17% | |||
daily | 1015 | 14% | |||
beauty | 953 | 13% | |||
gut | 937 | 13% | |||
collagen | 890 | 12% | |||
immune | 870 | 12% | |||
hair | 818 | 11% | |||
system | 711 | 10% | |||
rich | 673 | 9% | |||
levels | 575 | 8% | |||
Eat * Body goals ** | 11,401 | 2276 ± 3811 | eat | 3061 | 42% |
body | 2219 | 31% | |||
week | 1652 | 23% | |||
app | 1508 | 21% | |||
results | 1434 | 20% | |||
foods | 1391 | 19% | |||
diet | 1378 | 19% | |||
weight | 1291 | 18% | |||
fat | 1288 | 18% | |||
life | 1248 | 17% | |||
today | 1217 | 17% | |||
calories | 1209 | 17% | |||
needs | 1076 | 15% | |||
intake | 976 | 13% | |||
better | 950 | 13% | |||
nutrition | 937 | 13% | |||
feel | 919 | 13% | |||
check | 906 | 12% | |||
plan | 901 | 12% | |||
loss | 824 | 11% | |||
goals | 751 | 10% | |||
long | 748 | 10% | |||
dietary | 745 | 10% | |||
challenge | 721 | 10% | |||
people | 719 | 10% | |||
mind | 705 | 10% | |||
work | 689 | 9% | |||
months | 640 | 9% | |||
available | 613 | 8% | |||
things | 588 | 8% | |||
important | 549 | 8% | |||
live | 425 | 6% | |||
sleep | 371 | 5% | |||
Recipe * Food literacy ** | 7859 | 1542 ± 1863 | recipe | 6287 | 87% |
tag | 953 | 13% | |||
chicken | 889 | 12% | |||
dish | 535 | 7% | |||
baby | 470 | 6% | |||
Home * | 1047 | 1969 ± 3276 | home | 563 | 8% |
year | 518 | 7% |
Disclaimer/Publisher’s Note: The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of MDPI and/or the editor(s). MDPI and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content. |
© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Share and Cite
Denniss, E.; Lindberg, R.; McNaughton, S.A. Nutrition-Related Information on Instagram: A Content Analysis of Posts by Popular Australian Accounts. Nutrients 2023, 15, 2332. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15102332
Denniss E, Lindberg R, McNaughton SA. Nutrition-Related Information on Instagram: A Content Analysis of Posts by Popular Australian Accounts. Nutrients. 2023; 15(10):2332. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15102332
Chicago/Turabian StyleDenniss, Emily, Rebecca Lindberg, and Sarah A. McNaughton. 2023. "Nutrition-Related Information on Instagram: A Content Analysis of Posts by Popular Australian Accounts" Nutrients 15, no. 10: 2332. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15102332
APA StyleDenniss, E., Lindberg, R., & McNaughton, S. A. (2023). Nutrition-Related Information on Instagram: A Content Analysis of Posts by Popular Australian Accounts. Nutrients, 15(10), 2332. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15102332