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Abbreviations API: Application Programming Interface; DB: Data base; e.g. : Exempli gratia, for example; et al.: Et alii, and others; n: Sample size; SPSS: Statistical Package for the Social Sciences; WHO: World Health Organization
Source publication
Background:
Eating disorders among adolescents are an ongoing public health concern. Sustainable health promotion programmes require a thorough understanding of the social context in which minors engage. Initial studies show that young people make extensive use of social networks in order to exchange experiences and gather information. During this...
Citations
... 7 They share health and fitnessrelated tips and product or brand recommendations with their followers, 3 and can motivate users to exercise with them. 2 Previous studies have shown that fitness influencers have a positive effect on physical activity, especially among people who are already exercising. 3 Hence, they can contribute to combat the negative consequences of physical inactivity on people's health, 3,8 with regard to diseases (e.g., cardiovascular diseases, diabetes) and associated risk factors (e.g., increased blood pressure and obesity). 9 Physical inactivity has become one of the major risk factors for mortality from non-communicable diseases. ...
Objective
Fitness influencers have become important digital health communicators with regard to influencing consumer health behaviours, such as physical activity. We investigate how working (out) with these new communicators can generate benefits for the fitness influencer, user health, and endorsed brands. Based on the source credibility, social identity theory, and gender congruity research, this paper aims to identify the main factors that affect users’ attitudes toward the fitness influencer (influencer benefit), users’ exercise intentions (user health benefit) and their purchase intentions (brand benefit), considering user and influencer gender.
Methods
Two studies were conducted, both with male and female influencers and users. In study 1 (n = 496), the fitness influencer endorsed an unfamiliar brand, and in study 2 (n = 529) a familiar brand was endorsed. To test the proposed models and to estimate the path coefficients, structural equation modelling was performed.
Results
Key influencing factors were identified in the two studies: For attitude toward the influencer, source credibility is the most important; for exercise intention, parasocial interaction and attitude toward the behaviour are crucial; and purchase intention is largely predicted by the brand attitude. The studies revealed gender-congruent and non-congruent tendencies for female and male respondents, and different effects of unfamiliar and familiar brands.
Conclusions
Working (out) with fitness influencers can improve user attitudes toward the influencer, increase users’ exercise intentions, and increase brand purchase intentions, for both unfamiliar and familiar brands. Some gender congruity and some gender incongruity effects exist. The paper discusses important implications for theory and practice.
... From the consumer's perspective, the findings indicated that consumers should be aware that informative labeling and delivery by opinion leaders have become important trends in this modern information technology society. Further, consumers were able to place a greater emphasis on obtaining certifications for the quality of products produced (Pärson & Vancic, 2020). The study established that the most dominant characteristic of opinion leaders is trust which has an impact on millennials' buying behavior. ...
Opinion leaders have emerged as individuals with social influence who serve as the core of an interpersonal communication network. The social trends have made opinion leaders significantly influence buying behavior, especially among millennials. A deeper understanding of the characteristics of opinion leadership is still needed and based on the two-step flow theory, we developed a research framework to study opinion leaders’ influence (trust, credibility, and originality) on consumer buying behavior. A simple random sampling method was used, and the sample comprised 398 millennials in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Data were collected via a self-administered questionnaire. Regarding the relationships involving the opinion leaders’ elements, Pearson correlation analysis found that the trust (r=0.545; p=0.00), credibility (r=0.518; p=0.00), and originality (r=0.398; p=0.00) of opinion leaders are significantly related to consumer buying behavior. Multiple regression analysis was then applied to examine the most influential opinion leader factors on millennials’ buying behavior. The result showed that this model contributed a total of 30.7% and that trust (β = 0.368, p = 0.000) is the most influencing factor on millennials buying behavior. Marketers will have an updated perspective on the influence of opinion leaders on consumer buying behavior knowing the profiles of opinion leaders is extremely beneficial for consumers to make wise purchase decisions.
... Evidence suggests that empirical findings are broadening in terms of fitness as well as health communication domains (Lutkenhaus et al., 2019;Peng et al., 2019;Zhou & Krishnan, 2019;Pilgrim & Bohnet-Joschko, 2019). Still, little has been discovered in the past couple of years about the role of influencers of social media platforms and the usage of fitness apps (Oyibo et al., 2018;Oyibo & Vassileva, 2019;Baretta et al., 2019;Hosseinpour & Terlutter, 2019) and how they affect users' health-related behaviors. ...
Objective: As to date, little has been done to explore and understand the cognitive experiences of individuals with regular exercise at gyms in Pakistan through an in-depth qualitative analysis, therefore the study aimed to probe the cognitive experiences of the ones who had been into the practice of regular exercise and workouts at the gym. Method: The participants i.e., males (N=3) and females (N =5), having 6 months of persistent exercising were approached from Shapes Health Studio (Fitness center/ gym), Multan, Pakistan. The age ranges of the recruited participants were from 25 to 40 years. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and the data were analyzed through an interpre[1]tative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to interpret common patterns focusing on each individual’s experiences thoroughly. The Verbatim of each participant was transcribed to generate the emergent interpretative themes which were categorized into sub-ordinate themes and further into super-ordinate themes. Results: Four super-ordinate themes emerged: (1) influence of social media and social comparison, (2) appearance vs. expectations of body image, (3) mindfulness and improved quality of life, and (4) management of physical and psychological ailments. Conclusion: Movement gives life as it has been revealed from the super-ordinate themes that mindfulness, improved quality of life, and management of ailments like obesity reduce body appearance comparison pressures. Furthermore, psychological ailments such as depression and anxiety are also managed well when the social media influences of having a perfect body are reduced through regular exercise. It can be hoped that the current study will help raise certain persuasion as well as awareness among the population to maintain regularity in their exercises at the gym to adapt a socially active and healthy lifestyle.
... Health influencers are a particular sub-category of influencers that promote health and fitness as their expertise (Pilgrim & Bohnet-Joschko, 2019). An example of a health influencer is Kayla Itsines, who has amassed 13.4 million followers on Instagram (Itsines, 2021) in September 2021. ...
... However, there are also possible harms to following health influencers. Health influencer content may reinforce the "fit-ideal" (Anne, 2016;Boepple et al., 2016;Carrotte et al., 2017;Pilgrim & Bohnet-Joschko, 2019;Tiggemann & Zaccardo, 2018), which is the concept that an athletic or fit body is thought to be the ideal body type (Homan, 2010). The "fit-ideal" is associated with increased body dissatisfaction and depressive symptoms (Blashill & Wilhelm, 2014;Golian et al., 2014;Sherlock & Wagstaff, 2019;Soares Filho et al., 2020). ...
... Non-users were classed as people who indicated 0 (Never) for Instagram usage. Exercise/Fitness and Diet/Food influencers were chosen because these two domains encompass the majority of health influencer content (Pilgrim & Bohnet-Joschko, 2019). ...
How young adults access health information has changed rapidly with the rise of social media and the new wave of Instagram health influencers. Therefore, it is important to investigate whether following health influencers on Instagram is strictly beneficial to the physical and mental health of their followers. In this cross-sectional study, 1,022 young adults (aged 18–25) across New Zealand, the United States, and the United Kingdom, completed a survey in 2021 of their lifestyle habits including measures of social media usage, dietary and exercise habits, and mental health. Results showed that health influencer followers (HIFs) reported more vigorous exercise (p < .001), higher fruit and vegetable intake (p < .001), and better well-being (p < .001) but also greater distress (a factor comprised of depression, anxiety and negative mood; p = .006) compared to non-followers, controlling for age, gender, ethnicity, education level, socioeconomic status, and body mass index. Higher distress was especially pronounced among those who followed food or diet-related health influencers (p < .001). Moreover, following health influencers disrupted the typical protective relationship between health behaviours and distress. Among health influencer followers, more vigorous physical activity was associated with higher distress levels. This was in sharp contrast to the lack of a relationship for non-followers, and the typical protective relationship in non-users of Instagram. These findings suggest that following health influencers may disrupt the positive relationship between health behaviours and mental health. Follow-up research exploring prospective patterns could reveal the exact impact of following health influencers on mental health.
... However, we highlight the current digital revolution in which consumers are becoming prosumers and, to a certain extent, controlling the message sent by organisations and institutions (Castillo-Abdul and Blanco-Herrero, 2022). In the case of health communication, this is very evident (Pilgrim and Bohnet-Joschko, 2019). This is where institutions design social marketing strategies (and tactics) through networks such as Instagram, X, Facebook, and others that a priori seem to have less depth but are becoming increasingly important in social marketing, such as YouTube, TikTok or WhatsApp (Harris et al., 2020). ...
El creciente uso de formatos digitales en el sistema publicitario español ha contribuido a un cambio importante en el marketing, por lo que los influencers son cada vez más demandados por las marcas. El objetivo del artículo es evidenciar la prescripción que suponen estos perfiles y descubrir si afectan al trabajo de las agencias (plan de marketing, planificación estratégica o de medios, creatividad…) siendo un elemento estructural. La metodología combina métodos cualitativos y cuantitativos: entrevistas en profundidad, encuesta y Delphi. Los resultados muestran el importante papel de estos perfiles sociales para sociedad, usuarios finales y empresas de comunicación y marketing.
... Diet and exercise are promoted as factors to be controlled for body perfection. Their posts emphasize consumption of dietary supplements and wearing tight-fitting branded sportswear as key to happiness by enhancing one's appearance [48]. It can be easily understood what impact these posts in Instagram can have on trainee athletes and sportspersons especially when the influencers are themselves renowned sportspersons. ...
Purpose of Review
Social media (SM) plays an important role in providing diet and health advice to athletes, but it also carries with it a risk of credibility in the information sought for and received. The objective of this review is to assess the knowledge gap on how SM influences dietary and lifestyle practices in athletes.
Recent Findings
For this, relevant literature was searched in three leading databases with appropriate keywords, which were subjected to proper scrutiny that led to inclusion of 22 articles (original research papers, reviews, viewpoints, and commentaries). The current era of digitalization has seen an over-reliance on internet and SM for nutrition and lifestyle advice for an athlete. SM has become a powerful tool in athlete’s choice of food, nutrition information, healthy living, and performance, with merits and demerits. Their role in choosing dietary supplements and particular food types (e.g., ketogenic diet), body image, self-esteem and eating disorders, and in lifestyle and performance are discussed.
Summary
SM should be used with caution and should not be used alone as a source of information for nutrition related pieces of advise by athletes. Any food type and supplements trending in SM should be discussed with a sports nutritionist before consumption. SM influencers having a big follower base may not always be disseminating the right knowledge on food and nutrition, thus caution should be exercised. For optimal benefit to the athlete, SM information should be in alignment with recommendations provided by sports nutrition and coaches.
... This is particularly concerning at the present time, with the rising number of influencers discussing health issues. Therefore, it seems vital to prepare healthcare professionals to conduct interventions and wisely use social media to promote healthrelated matters [50,51]. Healthcare professionals should be well-prepared to implement interventions and learn the necessary know-how that will enable them to function not only as experts, but also as successful educators. ...
(1) Workplace nutrition interventions have garnered attention as a pivotal component of employee well-being and organisational productivity. However, the effectiveness of various intervention types remains inconclusive. This review aims to systematically evaluate the efficacy of cognitive, behavioural, and mixed nutrition interventions in the workplace, considering the nuances of intervention design, setting, and target demographics. (2) A comprehensive umbrella review was conducted, categorising the existing literature into person-oriented and environmental strategies. This review was prepared in line with the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for umbrella reviews and the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses reporting standard. (3) The analysis revealed a lack of definitive evidence supporting the universal effectiveness of any single intervention type. Nonetheless, behavioural and mixed interventions demonstrated more favourable outcomes as compared to purely cognitive strategies. Factors such as intervention design, workplace setting, and target group characteristics were identified as significant determinants of the intervention success. (4) The review emphasises the imperative for additional investigations that utilise evidence-based approaches to formulate sound guidelines for efficacious nutrition interventions in occupational settings. This review functions as a foundational framework for guiding both scholarly research and the pragmatic execution of nutrition programs in the workplace.
... This is particularly concerning at the present time, with the rising number of influencers discussing health issues. Therefore, it seems vital to prepare healthcare professionals to conduct interventions and wisely use social media to promote health-related matters [50,51]. Healthcare professionals should be well-prepared to implement interventions and learn the necessary know-how that will enable them to function not only as experts, but also as successful educators. ...
(1) Workplace nutrition interventions have garnered attention as a pivotal component of employee well-being and organizational productivity. However, the effectiveness of various intervention types remains inconclusive. This review aims to systematically evaluate the efficacy of cognitive, behavioral, and mixed nutrition interventions in the workplace, considering the nuances of intervention design, setting, and target demographics. (2) A comprehensive umbrella review was conducted, categorizing existing literature into person-oriented and environmental strategies. This review was prepared in line with the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for umbrella reviews and the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses reporting standard. (3) The analysis revealed a lack of definitive evidence supporting the universal effectiveness of any single intervention type. Nonetheless, behavioral and mixed interventions demonstrated more favorable outcomes compared to purely cognitive strategies. Factors such as intervention design, workplace setting, and target group characteristics were identified as significant determinants of intervention success. (4) The review emphasizes the imperative for additional investigations that utilize evidence-based approaches to formulate sound guidelines for efficacious nutrition interventions in occupational settings. This review functions as a foundational framework for guiding both scholarly research and the pragmatic execution of nutrition programs in the workplace.
... The capacity of social media influencers to influence the behaviour and decisions of their audiences is akin to that of opinion leaders (Scheer-Stern 1992;Lockwood-Kunda 1997). However, in this case of social media influencers, their potential to influence is not based on specific knowledge or talent but on their ability to relate to their audience capacity (Galeotti-Goyal 2009;Harrigan et al. 2021;Pilgrim-Bohnet-Joschko 2019). ...
Social media influencers have emerged as digital celebrities, positioning themselves as role models for different audiences, particularly young people. Due to the inherent social and psychological immaturity of adolescents, they are considered a more vulnerable group, and thus, their digital behaviour and its potential impact on their identity development should be carefully studied. This study aimed to explore how adolescents perceive social media influencers. Sixtytwo adolescents between the ages of 11 and 17 living in Spain participated in 12 focus groups. The study attempted to understand how adolescents define the concept of social media influencers and which profiles they follow in order to identify the attributes they prioritised. This study describes the categories proposed by the adolescents, as well as the influence generated by social media influencers based on the age and socio-economic status of the interviewees. Additionally, the study reveals that adolescents from lower socio-economic levels and adolescents between 16 and 17 years old expressed a desire to become social media influencers.
... Although existing literature provides insights into the motivations behind CAM usage [18,19], the role of SMIs in shaping consumer decisionmaking behavior regarding CAMs has remained largely unexplored. While some studies touch upon the marketing of health products through social media channels [8,12,15,20,21], a comprehensive understanding of the influencing factors that drive consumers to purchase CAMs through SMIs' endorsements is yet to be established. ...
Background
Social Media Influencers (SMIs) are a fashionable way of marketing products by creating electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM) on social media. The marketing of complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) by SMIs is becoming increasingly popular and gaining credibility within consumers on social media platforms. Nonetheless, advising about healthcare products on social media should be examined as it is different from endorsing other kinds of commercial products. The aim of this study is to develop a model that provides the underlying mechanisms of the stimuli of SMIs on social media towards consumers’ purchase intention of CAMs.
Methods
This study used best fit framework synthesis methods to develop the model. A priori theory selection was conducted by identifying a BeHEMoTh strategy (Behavior of Interest, Health context, Exclusions and Models or Theories) to systematically approach identifying relevant models and theories relative to the research aim. Further evidence derived from primary research studies that describe the behavior identified is coded against selected a priori theory to develop the model.
Results
This study presents a novel model for understanding the purchase behavior of CAMs using SMIs as a marketing strategy. The model included two well-known theories (theory of planned behaviour theory and source credibility theory) as well as extensive existing research from a multidisciplinary perspective. The model is exclusively designed to help identify elements affecting perceived source credibility and factors that have an influence over consumers’ preferences to purchase CAMs by taking into consideration SMIs’ endorsements.
Conclusions
This study provides unique insights introducing new research areas to health literature and offers, new roles for healthcare professionals in this digital era by gaining new skills and competencies required to provide more credible and accurate information about CAMs. The study also highlights the new marketing era of online health-related product endorsements and recommends that policymakers and researchers carefully evaluate the impact of SMI’s on the use of CAMs, as well as to regulate the content of these promotional materials.
