"And just like that, quiet": a content analysis of TikTok videos on food noise

Food Noise is a topic of growing interest in media, social media, and reports from patients and clinicians. A theoretical definition of "Food Noise" has recently been established as "heightened and/or persistent manifestations of food cue reactivity, often leading to food-related intrusive thoughts and maladaptive eating behaviors," but research focusing on the lived experiences of people who report experiencing it is limited. TikTok has become a major outlet for content creators to disseminate information on Food Noise, with over 3600 videos under the hashtag #FoodNoise as of June 2024.

This study aimed to examine the top videos on TikTok under the hashtag "FoodNoise" and explore what content creators discuss around food noise.

We analyzed 100 videos on TikTok under the hashtag #FoodNoise. Video links and metadata (such as engagement metrics) were retrieved on June 24^th, 2024. After one duplicated video was excluded, the final analysis included 99 videos. Following pilot testing of the codebook, we conducted a quantitative content analysis of the videos. This study required no ethical approval.

The sampled videos had a mean of 1,173,323.63 views, 8,154.57 likes, 246.99 comments, and 582.65 shares. Content creators were primarily female (91.92%), aged 30 or older (82.83%), and White (85.86%). 22.22% of content creators were healthcare professionals, and 70.71% of videos were patient testimonies. 49.49% of videos mentioned medications, mainly GLP-1 receptor agonists. 42.42% mentioned food, mostly candies, desserts, and fast foods. Of the videos that defined Food Noise (82.82%), 93.9% defined it consistently with the current theoretical definition. Most videos (85.86%) depicted food noise negatively.

The top content available on TikTok on food noise is mainly comprised of patient testimonies that describe food noise as negative and distressful, and depict the use of medications, mostly GLP-1RAs, as a positive strategy to help manage food noise.