Can tweens eating habits be affected by messages from influencers? A study published in Frontiers in Psychology suggests that a thin influencer does not affect food choice in children ages 11 to 13, while an overweight influencer may be able to.
Tweens, teens and young adults are subject to a lot of promotion from influencers and brands. In this technology-driven era, influencer marketing is a huge industry, with influencers advertising clothing, food, makeup, and more. This can have a profound effect on people, especially individuals who are young and impressive. Since nutrition is such an important part of a child’s developing health, this study seeks to understand how influencers can affect food choice for tweens.
For their study, Steffi De Jans and colleagues used 146 participants with an equal gender divide. Participants were randomly selected from 3 different schools in Belgium. The researchers created 2 Instagram profiles for fake influencers, one that was presented as an ideal thinner and one that was presented as overweight. Influencers have been shown to hold either carrots (healthy snack) or cookies (unhealthy snack). Participants completed measures on influencer credibility, influencer admiration, cross-parasitic interactions, and food selection.
The results showed that when exposed to the thin ideal influence, their choice of snack was not affected; the group showed the unhealthy snack and the group showed the unhealthy snack chose the unhealthy snack at similar rates. When exposed to the influence of being overweight, participants were more likely to choose the healthy snack after seeing the place with the unhealthy product in it. The results showed a weighty effect on perceived credibility, with overweight influencers being perceived as less credible, and on influencers ’admiration, with ideal thin influencers being more admired.
This study took steps to better understand the effects of influencers on food choice for tweens, but it also has some limitations to note. One limitation of these is that this study used a fictitious influence, which is unlikely to have the influence or influence on children that someone they know could. In addition, participants were told that they would be given their chosen snack as a thank you, which may have influenced them to choose which snack they preferred at that time. Future research may yield more snack options.
“This study shows that exposure to a thin ideal influencer did not affect the choice of tweens for healthy food vs. unhealthy food. Therefore, we suggest that the use of ideal thin social media influencers does not stimulate a healthy diet among tweens, ”the researchers said.
“However, exposure to an overweight influencer that promotes unhealthy snacks can positively affect children’s choice of healthy foods. These results can be explained by contrast effects, as the overweight influencer is also perceived as less credible and is less admired by the tweens. Based on this main result, it is difficult to make a concrete recommendation for traders or public policies when it comes to promoting healthy eating to children and adolescents, as the Our results suggest that the best way to promote a healthy diet is by using overweight. influencer promoting an unhealthy food product. “
“Therefore, we believe that it is not advisable to promote healthy food to children through the approval of unhealthy food by an overweight influencer, as this may perpetuate stereotypes about people with overweight as people who do not have a thin ideal are not healthy and eat. unhealthy foods, ”the researchers concluded.
The study, “Impact of Thin Ideals in Influence Positions Promoting Healthy Foods vs. Unhealthy Foods on Tweens Healthy Food Choice Behavior,” was authored by Steffi De Jans , Liselot Hudders, Brigitte Naderer, and Valentina De Pauw.
