A new study led by researchers from the University of Sydney has found young women’s engagement with social media plays a major role in shaping how they think—and act—in relation to their health.
The research, published in the journal Health Marketing Quarterly, studied 30 women aged between 18 and 35 during the 2021 COVID-19 lockdowns to understand the factors influencing them to adopt diet and exercise messages on social media platforms Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
Lead author of the study, Ph.D. candidate Clare Davies from the Discipline of Media and Communications, said the initial findings suggest women are just as likely to accept health messages on social media—promoted by influencers—as they are from public health communicators.
“The women we spoke to were highly influenced to take up diet and exercise messages on social media if they felt a sense of ‘connection’, or relatability, with the