Diet culture on TikTok: a descriptive content analysis

Emily Munro; Gabriella Wells; Rigel Paciente; Nicole Wickens; Daniel Ta; Joelie Mandzufas; Karen Lombardi; Alix Woolard

doi:10.1017/S1368980024001381

Public Health Nutrition (Jan 2024)

Diet culture on TikTok: a descriptive content analysis

Emily Munro,
Gabriella Wells,
Rigel Paciente,
Nicole Wickens,
Daniel Ta,
Joelie Mandzufas,
Karen Lombardi,
Alix Woolard

Affiliations

Emily Munro: ORCiD; The Kids Research Institute Australia, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
Gabriella Wells: ORCiD; The Kids Research Institute Australia, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia
Rigel Paciente: ORCiD; The Kids Research Institute Australia, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
Nicole Wickens: ORCiD; The Kids Research Institute Australia, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
Daniel Ta: ORCiD; The Kids Research Institute Australia, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
Joelie Mandzufas: ORCiD; The Kids Research Institute Australia, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia
Karen Lombardi: ORCiD; The Kids Research Institute Australia, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia
Alix Woolard: ORCiD; The Kids Research Institute Australia, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980024001381
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 27

Abstract

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Abstract Objective: To investigate how dieting is portrayed on TikTok and the potential implications for public health considering the effect of diet culture on eating disorders amongst young people. Design: A cross-sectional descriptive content analysis of 250 videos from the five most popular diet-related hashtags. A codebook was developed to analyse the content of the videos and collect the engagement for each video (likes, comments and shares). Setting: TikTok website. Participants: There were no participants in this study. Results: More than half of the videos portrayed ‘body checking’, a potentially harmful practice for body image. Of the videos that represented body image, almost half represented body image negatively. However, most videos promoted the idea of ‘healthy eating’, and only 6·4 % displayed disordered eating behaviours. Over half of the videos provided dietary advice, and of those videos, most content creators claimed to be experts (64 %). Claiming expertise was not significantly associated with engagement; however, the use of humour was significantly associated with engagement. Additionally, males were more likely than females to disclose their goals of the diet. Conclusions: Overall, it appears that TikTok is commonly used to share nutrition tips and personal experiences around dieting and eating in general, often employing humour as an effective technique. The popularity of the platform and rapid dissemination of information would be a useful tool for health professionals, especially those working with eating disorders, to utilise.

Published in Public Health Nutrition

ISSN: 1368-9800 (Print); 1475-2727 (Online)
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Medicine: Public aspects of medicine; Medicine: Internal medicine: Specialties of internal medicine: Nutritional diseases. Deficiency diseases
Website: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/public-health-nutrition

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