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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Frontiers in Public Health

Watching what others eat: exposure to social-media eating content, body appreciation, and eating behaviors in Turkish adults

  • Emre Batuhan Kenger1
  • Tuğçe Özlü Karahan2
  • Aslı Başak Toprak3
  • İpek Arslan3
  • Tuğba Sarıtaş3
  • Zeynep Özgen3
  • Hatice Merve Bayram4
  • Arda Ozturkcan4
4 affiliations
  1. 1Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Fenerbahçe University
  2. 2Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Hamidiye Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Health Sciences Türkiye
  3. 3Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Istanbul Bilgi University
  4. 4Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Istanbul Gelisim University
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Abstract

Background: It remains unclear whether eating behaviors are associated with overall social media use or specifically with the duration and genre of food-related video exposure. This study examined the associations of general social media use, food-video viewing duration, most-watched food-video genre, and body appreciation with eating behaviors among adults living in Istanbul, Türkiye.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 364 (75.5% female, the mean age of 29.3 ± 10.8 years) adults residing in Istanbul, Türkiye between March-May 2026. Data were collected through an online questionnaire comprising social media and food-video viewing patterns, eating behaviors using the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire-R21, and body appreciation using the Body Appreciation Scale-2. Data was analyzed using SPSS 24.0.

Results: Overall social media use was not independently associated with uncontrolled eating (β = 0.035, p = 0.517), emotional eating (β = −0.030, p = 0.566), or cognitive restraint (β = −0.055, p = 0.290). In the primary adjusted models, compared with viewing food-related videos for 0–1 h/day, viewing for 2–4 h/day was associated with higher uncontrolled eating (β = 0.208, p < 0.001), emotional eating (β = 0.161, p = 0.001), and cognitive restraint (β = 0.103, p = 0.045). However, the cognitive-restraint association for this category was not statistically significant after expanded covariate adjustment or in the non-linear sensitivity analysis, indicating a model-dependent finding. Viewing for >4 h/day was associated with higher emotional eating (β = 0.118, p = 0.001) and cognitive restraint (β = 0.147, p = 0.006), but not uncontrolled eating. Higher body appreciation was independently associated with lower uncontrolled eating (β = −0.212, p < 0.001) and emotional eating (β = −0.191, p < 0.001). The final models had adjusted R ² values of 0.137, 0.197, and 0.122, respectively.

Conclusions: Food-video viewing duration was associated with uncontrolled and emotional eating, while associations with cognitive restraint varied across model specifications. Greater body appreciation was independently associated with lower uncontrolled and emotional eating.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{kenger2026watching,
  title = {{Watching what others eat: exposure to social-media eating content, body appreciation, and eating behaviors in Turkish adults}},
  author = {Emre Batuhan Kenger and Tuğçe Özlü Karahan and Aslı Başak Toprak and İpek Arslan and Tuğba Sarıtaş and Zeynep Özgen and Hatice Merve Bayram and Arda Ozturkcan},
  journal = {Frontiers in Public Health},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.3389/fpubh.2026.1963635},
  url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1963635/full},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Watching what others eat: exposure to social-media eating content, body appreciation, and eating behaviors in Turkish adults
AU  - Emre Batuhan Kenger
AU  - Tuğçe Özlü Karahan
AU  - Aslı Başak Toprak
AU  - İpek Arslan
AU  - Tuğba Sarıtaş
AU  - Zeynep Özgen
AU  - Hatice Merve Bayram
AU  - Arda Ozturkcan
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/22
JO  - Frontiers in Public Health
DO  - 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1963635
UR  - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1963635/full
AB  - Background: It remains unclear whether eating behaviors are associated with overall social media use or specifically with the duration and genre of food-related video exposure. This study examined the associations of general social media use, food-video viewing duration, most-watched food-video genre, and body appreciation with eating behaviors among adults living in Istanbul, Türkiye.  Methods: This cross-sectional study included 364 (75.5% female, the mean age of 29.3 ± 10.8 years) adults residing in Istanbul, Türkiye between March-May 2026. Data were collected through an online questionnaire comprising social media and food-video viewing patterns, eating behaviors using the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire-R21, and body appreciation using the Body Appreciation Scale-2. Data was analyzed using SPSS 24.0.  Results: Overall social media use was not independently associated with uncontrolled eating (β = 0.035, p = 0.517), emotional eating (β = −0.030, p = 0.566), or cognitive restraint (β = −0.055, p = 0.290). In the primary adjusted models, compared with viewing food-related videos for 0–1 h/day, viewing for 2–4 h/day was associated with higher uncontrolled eating (β = 0.208, p < 0.001), emotional eating (β = 0.161, p = 0.001), and cognitive restraint (β = 0.103, p = 0.045). However, the cognitive-restraint association for this category was not statistically significant after expanded covariate adjustment or in the non-linear sensitivity analysis, indicating a model-dependent finding. Viewing for >4 h/day was associated with higher emotional eating (β = 0.118, p = 0.001) and cognitive restraint (β = 0.147, p = 0.006), but not uncontrolled eating. Higher body appreciation was independently associated with lower uncontrolled eating (β = −0.212, p < 0.001) and emotional eating (β = −0.191, p < 0.001). The final models had adjusted R ² values of 0.137, 0.197, and 0.122, respectively.  Conclusions: Food-video viewing duration was associated with uncontrolled and emotional eating, while associations with cognitive restraint varied across model specifications. Greater body appreciation was independently associated with lower uncontrolled and emotional eating.
SN  - 2296-2565
ER  -