Bridging the Gap Between Viewing and Cooking: A Mixed Methods Study of Social Media Engagement and Barriers Among College Students

To examine how social media use, barriers, and cognitive, affective, and behavioral (CAB) engagement relate to recipe preparation among college students, undergraduates (N = 558) viewed recipe content online. In a mixed methods design, participants viewed two recipe posts developed by a registered dietitian in a simulated feed. Quantitative measures included platform use, self-reported likelihood of preparing recipes, and endorsement of barriers; regression models tested predictors of preparation. Open-ended opinions and memorable aspects were coded to CAB domains to characterize reactions. Self-reported likelihood of preparing recipes encountered on social media predicted preparation, whereas platform use and engagement indicators such as liking or sharing recipe posts did not. Adding barriers improved model fit; two were associated with lower odds of preparation: having a busy lifestyle and contextual constraints. Qualitative findings indicated that most reactions were cognitive, emphasizing clarity, usefulness, and ease, with fewer comments reflecting behavioral engagement. Social media nutrition education for college audiences should pair clear, appealing content with message features that make action feasible and acknowledge students’ time, facility, and access constraints. Content evaluations should move beyond surface engagement metrics to include readiness to cook and contextual barriers, linking CAB engagement with recipe posts to measurable preparation behaviors.