The Mediating Effects of Food Content Watching Motivation on the between Watching Time and Nutrition Quotient of Adolescents in Seoul, Korea

Food-related content varies widely and is increasingly popular. Using various media, teenagers can easily access food content, which could affect they eating habits. This study was conducted to confirm the effects of watching motivation on the relationship between food content watching time and eating habits among adolescents in Seoul, Korea. Exactly 806 participants were surveyed about their food content watching status, including watching time and watching motivation. The Nutrition Quotient for adolescents (NQ-A) questionnaire was used to confirm eating habits. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted to classify watching motivation’s subfactors. A parallel multimedia model was used to analyze the effect of watching motivation on the relationship between food content watching time and eating habits. As a result of this study, following the factor analysis, watching motivation was classified into information acquisition, emotional satisfaction, and enjoyment. The influence of food content watching time on NQ-A scores through information acquisition motivation was positively significant, whereas that through emotional satisfaction motivation was negatively significant. Enjoyment motivation did not indirectly affect the relationship between food content watching time and NQ-A scores. Hence, attention should be paid to these mediating factors when analyzing the relationship between watching food-related content and eating habits. Developing and distributing content that meets viewing motivations should help improve adolescents’ eating habits.