Examining the Association between Social Media Use and Dietary Habits among College Students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Food culture plays a vital role in societal dynamics, with various factors influencing dietary choices beyond hunger. Among these factors are external eating, triggered by environmental cues, and emotional eating, which are common stress-coping mechanisms among college students. Social media has a significant impact on nutrition by providing access to food-related content, which can lead to restrictive diets or unhealthy eating habits. High social media engagement is associated with an increased risk of chronic diet-related conditions such as metabolic syndrome. This study investigated the association between social media use and dietary habits among college students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The cross-sectional study surveyed 401 participants online. The findings revealed that 74.6% of participants were women, with a mean age of 20.75 years. A significant portion (51.9%) reported spending over four hours daily on social media, with TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube being the primary sources of nutritional information. Statistical analysis indicated significant differences in dietary scores related to having children, medical conditions, and social media usage time. This study highlights the negative impact of extensive social media use on dietary habits and suggests the need for targeted public health interventions. Recommendations include promoting reliable nutrition-related content on social media, offering affordable healthy food options on campuses, and conducting further research to establish causality between social media use and dietary habits.