A content analysis of healthy living blogs: Evidence of content thematically consistent with dysfunctional eating attitudes and behaviors

Boepple, Leah; Thompson, J. Kevin

doi:10.1002/eat.22244

Cited by 71 publications

(60 citation statements)

References 24 publications

(47 reference statements)

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“…The issues of frustration, guilt and feeling addicted to viewing Fitspirational posts are novel insights emerging from the current study. Negative effects of exposure to Fitspiration on self-esteem, body image and disordered eating have been demonstrated [3] and speculated upon [7][8][9][10][11][12][13] previously and the accounts of our participants are in line with these studies and also the proposition that social comparison on the basis of appearance is one of the routes by which Fitspiration produces negative psychological effects [3].…”

Section: Discussion Key Findingssupporting

confidence: 85%

“…Concern has also been raised about the posters of Fitspirational material, with one study showing that women who post Fitspirational content have more maladaptive eating and body image problems than control women [12]. A content analysis of Fitspirational blogs (in which people write about their experiences of living a healthier lifestyle) found evidence of problematic eating, negative attitudes towards food and body image [13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Young People�s Experiences of Viewing the Fitspiration Social Media Trend: Qualitative Study (Preprint)

Easton¹,

Morton²,

Tappy³

et al. 2017

Preprint

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Section: Discussion Key Findingssupporting

confidence: 85%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Young People�s Experiences of Viewing the Fitspiration Social Media Trend: Qualitative Study (Preprint)

Easton¹,

Morton²,

Tappy³

et al. 2017

Preprint

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“…The quality of health information on social media varies widely; one study found that about half of “healthy living” blogs contained negative and stigmatizing messages about food or weight (18). Because of high rates of social media use among adolescents and young adults, concern is increasing about the promotion of disordered eating behaviors among online communities (19,20).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Messengers and Messages for Tweets That Used #thinspo and #fitspo Hashtags in 2016

et al. 2018

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IntroductionTwitter is widely used by young adults and is popular for seeking and sharing health information. The hashtags #thinspo and #fitspo provide a way to identify tweets designed to inspire thinness (thinspiration, thinspo) or fitness (fitspiration, fitspo). However, despite having different purposes, both terms may be associated with content that promotes eating disorders. We sought to 1) examine and compare the characteristics of senders and the content of tweets using these hashtags and 2) identify characteristics associated with engagement with a #thinspo or #fitspo tweet.MethodsIn May 2016 we collected 1,035 tweets with #thinspo and #fitspo hashtags by using a constructed week sampling procedure. Using consensus coding, pairs of raters assessed each tweet’s topic and associated images and videos. We used descriptive statistics to examine topics and user characteristics and inferential models to determine topics and characteristics associated with retweets, likes, and replies to tweets.ResultsOf the 1,035 tweets, 696 (67.2%) were relevant to body image, fitness, food, dieting, or eating disorders. Fitspo tweets came from organizations or businesses, were promotional, and focused on nutrition and exercise, whereas #thinspo tweets came from individuals, focused on thinness and disordered eating behaviors, and contained images of extremely thin women. Rates of retweeting and liking were significantly higher for #thinspo than for #fitspo.ConclusionCharacteristics of messages and messengers differed between #thinspo and #fitspo tweets; #thinspo tweets were used for messages about disordered eating. Public health professionals should consider using the #thinspo hashtag to reach the #thinspo group.

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“…A related and similarly concerning media trend is that the current ideal feminine body is not only very thin, but also exceedingly fit (Boepple & Thompson, 2014;Thompson, van Den Berg, Roehrig, Guarda, & Heinberg, 2004). Young adult women increasingly report a preference for broad shoulders and muscular arms (Thompson et al, 2004).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Skinny Is Not Enough: A Content Analysis of Fitspiration on Pinterest

Simpson

Mazzeo

2016

Health Communication

123

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Fitspiration is a relatively new social media trend nominally intended to promote health and fitness. Fitspiration messages are presented as encouraging; however, they might also engender body dissatisfaction and compulsive exercise. This study analyzed fitspiration content (n = 1050) on the image-based social media platform Pinterest. Independent raters coded the images and text present in the posts. Messages were categorized as appearance- or health-related, and coded for Social Cognitive Theory constructs: standards, behaviors, and outcome expectancies. Messages encouraged appearance-related body image standards and weight management behaviors more frequently than health-related standards and behaviors, and emphasized attractiveness as motivation to partake in such behaviors. Results also indicated that fitspiration messages include a comparable amount of fit praise (i.e., emphasis on toned/defined muscles) and thin praise (i.e., emphasis on slenderness), suggesting that women are not only supposed to be thin but also fit. Considering the negative outcomes associated with both exposure to idealized body images and exercising for appearance reasons, findings suggest that fitspiration messages are problematic, especially for viewers with high risk of eating disorders and related issues.

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A content analysis of healthy living blogs: Evidence of content thematically consistent with dysfunctional eating attitudes and behaviors

Cited by 71 publications

References 24 publications

Young People�s Experiences of Viewing the Fitspiration Social Media Trend: Qualitative Study (Preprint)

Young People�s Experiences of Viewing the Fitspiration Social Media Trend: Qualitative Study (Preprint)

Messengers and Messages for Tweets That Used #thinspo and #fitspo Hashtags in 2016

Skinny Is Not Enough: A Content Analysis of Fitspiration on Pinterest

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