Exposure to Food Marketing via Social Media and Obesity among University Students in Saudi Arabia

Najlaa M. Aljefree and Ghada Talat Alhothali
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Najlaa M. Aljefree: Food and Nutrition Department, Faculty of Human Sciences and Design, King Abdulaziz University, Building 43, Room 237, Level 2, Jeddah 3270, Saudi Arabia
Ghada Talat Alhothali: Marketing Department, College of Business, University of Jeddah, Building 17, Level 4, Room 4036, Jeddah 3795, Saudi Arabia

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 10, 1-13

Abstract: This study investigated the associations between obesity and unhealthy food/drink intake with both the frequency of social media platform usage and food/drink marketing exposure on social media. Data were obtained from 316 university students aged 18–29 years at two universities in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. These participants completed online questionnaires with sections on demographics, anthropometric measurements, social media platform usage, food marketing exposure via social media, and unhealthy food consumption. All of the participants, 20.3% and 13.6% were overweight and obese, respectively. Snapchat was the most popular application (85.8%), followed by Instagram (75%), YouTube (61%), Twitter (51%), and TikTok (50%). The obese participants were more likely to purchase foods/drinks after watching relevant social media advertisements than their non-obese counterparts ( p < 0.04). Moreover, those who purchased foods/drinks more frequently after watching such advertisements consumed higher amounts of potato chips ( p < 0.01) and fast foods ( p < 0.03). Finally, those who used Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram tended to have higher consumption rates for potato chips ( p < 0.02), fast foods ( p < 0.01), sweets ( p < 0.02), and sugary drinks ( p < 0.04). Public health policymakers in Saudi Arabia should consider regulating unhealthy food and drink advertisements on social media platforms, especially those targeted at younger generations.

Keywords: obesity; food marketing exposure; social media platforms; food ads; unhealthy food; young adults (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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