Elucidating the role of social media usage on eating behavior and hedonic hunger in college students: a cross-sectional design

Abstract Social media has become prominent in recent years, especially among the young population, and they also substantially impact young people’s eating habits. Furthermore, social media posts and visual interactions may trigger hedonic hunger, an increased desire for highly palatable food. This study aimed to explore the relationship between social media use and the concept of hedonic hunger in a sample of college students. 860 participants between 18 and 39 were recruited for the study. Data including demographic variables, weight, height, the Scale of Effects of Social Media on Eating Behavior (SESMEB), and the Turkish version of the Power of Food Scale (PFS) were gathered based on students’ self-reports via face-to-face interviews. The most used social media outlet among all students was Instagram (60.1%), the average time spent on social media was 3.56 ± 1.91 h, and females spent significantly more time on social media than males ( p < 0.001). The mean PFS score was 3.52 ± 0.77, and the subscale scores for food availability, food present, and food tasted were 3.26 ± 0.99, 3.49 ± 0.89, and 3.76 ± 0.87, respectively. Female students who spent more than 2 h on social media had higher scores on SESMEB than those who spent 2 h or less a day ( p = 0.015).​ A significantly positive correlation was found between SESMEB scores and PFS aggregated scores ( r = 0.381) and subscale scores (for food availability, present, and tasted, r = 0.369; r = 0.354; and r = 0.282, respectively). Each 1-unit increase in the SESMEB score leads to an 8% increase in the risk of hedonic hunger. Considering the impact of social media on young people’s eating habits and developing strategies may be crucial in shaping their eating patterns.