The Impact of Social Media Influencers on Food Consumption in Saudi Arabia, a Cross-Sectional Web-Based Survey

BACKGROUND: Previous studies investigating the impact of social media influencers on food consumption are limited. Therefore, this study explores the influence of social media on people’s health choices to understand the consequences of food consumption among the Saudi community. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study using an online survey was conducted in Saudi Arabia between 24 June and 20 July 2021. A convenience sample of eligible participants was used to recruit the study participants. A 32-items questionnaire was distributed via social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram). In addition, significant predictors of people being affected by social media to change diet and living with obesity were determined using binary logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 1124 participants were involved in this study. More than half of them (57.8%) were females and aged below 40 years (57.4%). The study participants’ median body mass index (BMI) was 27.4 kg/m(2) (IQR: 23.5–32.5). Around one-third of the study participants (36.6%) reported following influencers on social media. The median attitude score for the study participants was 15.00 (IQR: 1.00–27.00) out of 72, equal to 20.8%, which highlights that social media influence the diet of around one-fifth of the study participants. Males were less likely to be affected by social media than females (OR: 0.51; (95% CI: 0.40–0.65). Participants with obesity and participants who had tried a diet to lose weight were more likely to be affected by social media, with odds ratios of 2.14, and 4.83, respectively. Followers of social media influencers were 10-folds more likely to be affected by social media than others. CONCLUSION: This study showed that social media might influence the food consumption manner in the Saudi population.