Newswise – When it comes to sharing recipes on social media, what users post and what they cook can be two completely different things. This is the result of a recent study by the College of Health and Human Services at George Mason University, which was published in April in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR), a leading journal for digital medicine and health research. The study, led by Hong Xue, PhD, analyzed hundreds of Pinterest users and Pinterest influencers and found that users liked and pinned posts that were healthy and had more poultry, fish, and vegetables in fat, sugar, and total calories – indicating this that users were more likely to want to cook the less healthy recipes.
“It’s an interesting discrepancy between what the winners posted / liked and how users actually consumed the information,” said Xue. “Pinners are more likely to post recipes that are socially rewarded with likes and repins. They are more likely to adhere to an elite social norm set by celebrities and influencers to promote healthier, low-calorie, clean eating. But when it comes to that Recipe Goes Users are more interested in making foods high in fat, sugar, and calories. We see a very different picture. They comment and post finished photos of the less healthy recipes. “
The separation between popularity and engagement is important, according to Xue, because users don’t take the extra step from interest to action. This could have a significant impact on anyone trying to use social media campaigns to improve healthy eating behavior. In particular, the study found:
- Engagement (commenting, sharing photos of finished dishes) increased when the amount of fat, sugar and total calories in a recipe increased
- The popularity (reposting, liking) of a recipe increased as the number of poultry and seafood in a recipe increased
- Mining comments on recipe posts found that users were more likely to comment on the flavor of a recipe
- Users were far less likely to comment on a recipe’s difficulty level (less than 8 percent) or its health attributes (less than 3 percent).
With 18 percent of the U.S. adult population using Pinterest and sharing recipes as one of the most popular areas of interest, the platform represents an unprecedented opportunity to strengthen healthy eating habits, Xue said when Pinterest influencers posting recipes use different strategies apply.
“If users are into unhealthy recipes, influencers should potentially be offering options to reduce fat content as part of those recipes. It definitely has a role for health organizations and fitness professionals to offer healthier recipes that have a high taste that seems to be an area in find the user that the recipes are missing. To change perceptions, public health professionals need to make healthy foods enjoyable, not the other way around. There is tremendous opportunity on social media to influence healthy behavior, “he said. “We are only beginning to understand the potential and the pitfalls.”
###
About George Mason University
George Mason University is Virginia’s largest and most diverse public research university. Located near Washington, DC, Mason enrolls 39,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. Growing rapidly over the past half century, Mason is known for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity and commitment to accessibility. Further information can be found at https://www2.gmu.edu/.
Via the College of Health and Human Services
George Mason University’s College of Health and Human Services prepares students to become leaders and shape public health through academic excellence, consequence research, public relations, and interprofessional clinical practice. George Mason is the fastest growing research organization in the country. The college accepts more than 1,900 undergraduate and 1,370 undergraduate students in its nationally recognized offerings, including: 6 undergraduate degrees, 13 graduate degrees, and 7 certificate programs. The college will become a public health college in the near future. Further information can be found at https://chhs.gmu.edu/.
