IJERPH, Vol. 19, Pages 16380: Eating Concerns Associated with Nutritional Information Obtained from Social Media among Saudi Young Females: A Cross-Sectional Study

IJERPH, Vol. 19, Pages 16380: Eating Concerns Associated with Nutritional Information Obtained from Social Media among Saudi Young Females: A Cross-Sectional Study International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph192416380 Authors: Mona Mohammed Al-Bisher Hala Hazam Al-Otaibi Eating disorders have been highly prevalent in young females for decades for many reasons. Social media platforms have an enormous impact on users, especially young adults, who use them every day. In Saudi Arabia, social media is popular, with an estimated 72% of users being active in 2020. Therefore, the primary aim of this study was to assess the relationship between using social media to search for nutritional information and eating concerns. A nationwide study was conducted on 1092 young Saudi females aged 18–30 years from five administrative regions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Data were collected using an online validated questionnaire, and symptoms of eating concerns were assessed using two brief instruments: SCOFF [Sick, Control, One Stone, Fat, Food] and Eating disorders Screen for Primary care [ESP]. The prevalence of eating concerns was 49.6% among Saudi females. Moderate eating concerns were more prevalent in the central region 24.8%, whereas high eating concerns were more prevalent in the southern region 27.6%. Personal accounts of dietitian/nutritionists (OR = 1.170; 95% CI 1.071–1.277; p ≤ 0.001), inter...
Source: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Article Source Type: research