Social media has become a major source of nutrition information among adults; however, its influence on eating attitudes and potential connections to disordered eating remain insufficiently examined. This study explored the relationship between excessive social media engagement, exposure to nutrition-related content, and disordered eating tendencies among 385 adults aged 18 to 65 who were recruited online. Participants completed validated scales, including the Social Media Addiction Scale, REZZY Eating Disorder Scale (the Turkish-validated adaptation of the SCOFF screening tool), and the Social Media Influence on Eating Behavior Scale (SESMEB). Excessive social media exposure positively associated with disordered eating symptoms (β=0.341, P 4h) and higher trust in online nutrition content further predicted vulnerability to media-driven dietary attitudes. Higher engagement with nutrition-related content on social media was linked to increased susceptibility to media-driven eating attitudes and elevated disordered eating risk. Strengthening evidence-based nutrition communication and improving users’ digital literacy may help mitigate these effects.
Fatma Özsel Özcan (Wed,) studied this question.