Social media use among university students in Jordan and its impact on ‎their dietary ‎habits and physical activity

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the impact of university students’ social media use on their dietary habits and physical activity. In total, 57.7% of the participating students used social media platforms to post about their food, and 46.4% used these platforms to plan activities related to their health. Snapchat and Facebook were the platforms most used by the students to post about food, dietary habits, and physical activity. Students who posted about their physical activity were more committed to doing moderate to vigorous physical activity. Students who posted about their physical activity and fitness goals on social media perceived themselves to be more active than their counterparts and were less likely to describe their health as poor. Faculty members and university administrators can promote social media benefits to enhance the students’ health behaviors by disseminating different health-related messages.

Keywords

• social media sites
• the impacts of social media
• social media use
• university students
• physical activity
• weight
• dietary habits