Table 1.
Characteristics of the sample and relations with the follow status of nutrition-related content on Instagram.
| Characteristics | Follow Status of Nutrition-Related Content | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No | Yes | p-Value | |||
| Gender (n = 896) | % | % | % | ||
| Male (n = 185) | 20.6 | 24.2 | 13.2 | <0.001 a | |
| Female (n = 705) | 78.7 | 74.8 | 86.8 | ||
| Other (n = 6) | 0.7 | 1.0 | 0.0 | ||
| Generation (n = 898) | % | % | % | ||
| Generation-z (born 1997–2012) (n = 103) | 11.5 | 12.0 | 10.4 | <0.001 a | |
| Millennials (born 1981–1996) (n = 679) | 75.6 | 72.7 | 81.7 | ||
| Generation-x (born 1965–1980) (n = 102) | 11.4 | 13.0 | 8.0 | ||
| Boomers (born 1946–1964) (n = 14) | 1.6 | 2.3 | 0.0 | ||
| Body Mass Index (n = 898) | % | % | % | ||
| Severely underweight (<15) (n = 6) | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.544 | |
| Underweight (16–18.4) (n = 15) | 1.7 | 1.3 | 2.4 | ||
| Normal (18.5–24.9) (n = 516) | 57.6 | 56.5 | 59.5 | ||
| Overweight (25–29.9) (n = 234) | 25.7 | 26.8 | 24.6 | ||
| Obese ≥ 30 (n = 127) | 14.3 | 14.6 | 13.1 | ||
| Type of job (n = 898) | % | % | % | ||
| Unable to work (n = 4) | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.460 | |
| Self-employed (n = 33) | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.8 | ||
| Retired (n = 3) | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.0 | ||
| Student (n = 255) | 28.7 | 27.3 | 30.8 | ||
| Unemployed (no looking job) (n = 15) | 1.6 | 1.5 | 2.1 | ||
| Unemployed (looking job) (n = 19) | 2.2 | 1.6 | 3.1 | ||
| Employed Part-time (less 40 h) (n = 82) | 9.3 | 9.0 | 9.3 | ||
| Employed Full-time (40 h) (n = 487) | 53.9 | 56.0 | 50.5 | ||
| Household income (n = 898) | % | % | % | ||
| Below USD 10 K (n = 114) | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.1 | 0.774 | |
| USD 10–50 K (n = 185) | 21.2 | 20.4 | 23.2 | ||
| USD 50–100 K (n = 326) | 37.1 | 38.3 | 34.6 | ||
| USD 100–150 K (n = 137) | 15.4 | 15.6 | 14.9 | ||
| Over USD 150 K (n = 117) | 13.3 | 12.8 | 14.2 | ||
| Highest degree earned (n = 898) | % | % | % | ||
| Doctorate Degree (n = 252) | 28.3 | 29.1 | 26 | 0.120 | |
| Master’s Degree (n = 136) | 14.9 | 15.1 | 15.2 | ||
| Bachelor’s Degree (n = 388) | 43.6 | 41.4 | 47.1 | ||
| Associate Degree (n = 28) | 3.2 | 3.4 | 2.8 | ||
| Trade/Technical/Vocational training (n = 5) | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.0 | ||
| Some college credit, no degree (n = 55) | 5.8 | 5.7 | 6.9 | ||
| High school graduate or equivalent (n = 33) | 3.6 | 4.4 | 2.1 | ||
| Smoking habits (n = 898) | % | % | % | ||
| No (n = 839) | 93.4 | 92.9 | 94.5 | 0.202 | |
| Yes (n = 21) | 2.3 | 3.0 | 1.0 | ||
| Occasionally (n = 38) | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.5 | ||
| How long consulting Instagram (n = 794) | Mean (SD) | Mean (SD) | Mean (SD) | <0.001 a | |
| Months | 23.6 (24.1) | 22 (24.2) | 26.6 (23.7) | ||
| Hours per week on Instagram checking for nutrition or exercise (n = 879) | % | % | % | ||
| Less than 1 h | 29. 9 | 40.4 | 7.8 | <0.001 a | |
| Between 1–2.5 h | 43.3 | 40.3 | 49.8 | ||
| Between 2.5–5 h | 12.6 | 10.2 | 17.7 | ||
| More than 5 h | 14.1 | 9.1 | 24.7 | ||
| Instagram attitudes (n = 898) | |||||
| Followed a nutritional influencer | % | % | % | ||
| No (n = 505) | 56.2 | 74.1 | 18.7 | <0.001 a | |
| Yes (n = 393) | 43.8 | 25.9 | 81.3 | ||
| Looked up the influencer’s accreditation | % | % | % | ||
| No (n = 697) | 77.6 | 87.7 | 56.4 | <0.001 a | |
| Yes (n = 201) | 22.4 | 12.3 | 43.6 | ||
| Checked the accuracy of the recipes | % | % | % | ||
| No (n = 664) | 73.9 | 87.4 | 45.7 | <0.001 a | |
| Yes (n = 234) | 26.1 | 12.6 | 54.3 | ||
| Hiring or have considered hiring a personal training | % | % | % | ||
| No (n = 732) | 81.5 | 85.2 | 73.7 | <0.001 a | |
| Yes (n = 166) | 18.5 | 14.8 | 26.3 | ||
| Impact on body image (n = 898) | % | % | % | ||
| Positive (n = 268) | 30.0 | 21.0 | 48.4 | <0.001 a | |
| Negative (n = 149) | 16.0 | 16.1 | 17.6 | ||
| Neither (n = 481) | 54.0 | 62.9 | 33.9 | ||
| Vigorous physical activity (n = 770) | % | % | % | ||
| Less than 75 min per week (n = 107) | 13.9 | 14.0 | 13.7 | 0.899 | |
| More than 75 min per week (n = 663) | 86.1 | 86.0 | 86.3 | ||
| Moderate physical activity (n = 751) | % | % | % | ||
| Less than 150 min per week (n = 355) | 47.3 | 47.8 | 46.1 | 0.654 | |
| More than 150 min per week (n = 396) | 52.7 | 52.2 | 53.9 | ||
| Hours of sitting (n = 898) | % | % | % | ||
| Low risk (n = 315) | 35.1 | 33.8 | 37.7 | 0.644 | |
| Medium risk (n = 411) | 45.8 | 46.1 | 45.0 | ||
| High risk (n = 89) | 9.9 | 10.3 | 9.0 | ||
| Very high risk (n = 83) | 9.2 | 9.7 | 8.3 | ||
a significant difference between columns. K = $1000.