April 4-6, 2024 • Hyatt Regency • Lexington, KY
Innovations in Health Communication
Innovations in Health Communication
Abstract: Social Media and Fitness Content: A Mixed Methods Study of Ecological Momentary Assessment as an Intervention
Introduction
Viewing fitness content on social media, which many women do in the United States, increases negative mood and body dissatisfaction. Research into the impact of viewing fitness content has often used experimental designs. However, experiments are limited in their ability to extrapolate beyond the artificial setting in which they are conducted. This may be especially true for social media, which includes a mix of messages, images and sources. For example, previous research has found that the inclusion of body appreciation text in tandem with objectifying images increases self-compassion and state body appreciation for young women. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA), which allows for repeated data collection over time, can be beneficial for examining differential media effects.
Using EMA assessments for certain constructs may not impact participants. For example, completion of intensive assessments on body image-related constructs did not impact women’s body dissatisfaction, mood, or attitudes in a pretest-posttest study. However, using EMA to examine media-related constructs can impact participants’ awareness of content and potential changes in media-related behaviors. We were interested in whether the use of EMA surveys among young women related to the fitness content they viewed on social media, assessments of objectifying content and body appreciation content present, and their mood would serve as a reflective media literacy intervention for participants.
Methods
We conducted an explanatory sequential mixed methods study that included a pre-test post-test field experiment (N=39) in which young women (ages 18-24) completed a pretest survey sent via text message to their mobile devices followed by two daily surveys sent via text for four days, followed by a post-test. The EMAs focused on their perceptions of content in fitness posts on social media as including body appreciation messaging, health promotion messaging, or objectifying content, emotions, and body appreciation. We then conducted follow-up interviews with a subset of participants (N=8). Interviews took approximately 30 minutes to complete and focused on questions about the content to which they were exposed over the study period, their feelings when exposed to such content, and questions about the experience of participating in the research.
Results
Paired samples t-tests revealed that the experience of completing the EMAs positively impacted participants’ body appreciation (p=.05) and negatively impacted participants’ social comparison (p=.03) and self-sexualization (p=.03).
Themes we identified in the qualitative data using thematic analysis highlighted that participants’ study experiences impacted their awareness of the content to which they were exposed and for some, prompted changes in media use habits. They also were aware of potential mechanisms through which impacts may occur (e.g., self-comparison).
Conclusions
The use of intensive longitudinal assessments can positively impact mental-health outcomes relevant to body appreciation. Asking participants to reflect on their perceptions of the content to which they are exposed can call attention to such content as well as potential effects, serving an intervention function and potentially benefitting participants. This research is innovative as it moves this area of research forward in terms of topic and methods to help positively impact the mental health of young women.
Viewing fitness content on social media, which many women do in the United States, increases negative mood and body dissatisfaction. Research into the impact of viewing fitness content has often used experimental designs. However, experiments are limited in their ability to extrapolate beyond the artificial setting in which they are conducted. This may be especially true for social media, which includes a mix of messages, images and sources. For example, previous research has found that the inclusion of body appreciation text in tandem with objectifying images increases self-compassion and state body appreciation for young women. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA), which allows for repeated data collection over time, can be beneficial for examining differential media effects.
Using EMA assessments for certain constructs may not impact participants. For example, completion of intensive assessments on body image-related constructs did not impact women’s body dissatisfaction, mood, or attitudes in a pretest-posttest study. However, using EMA to examine media-related constructs can impact participants’ awareness of content and potential changes in media-related behaviors. We were interested in whether the use of EMA surveys among young women related to the fitness content they viewed on social media, assessments of objectifying content and body appreciation content present, and their mood would serve as a reflective media literacy intervention for participants.
Methods
We conducted an explanatory sequential mixed methods study that included a pre-test post-test field experiment (N=39) in which young women (ages 18-24) completed a pretest survey sent via text message to their mobile devices followed by two daily surveys sent via text for four days, followed by a post-test. The EMAs focused on their perceptions of content in fitness posts on social media as including body appreciation messaging, health promotion messaging, or objectifying content, emotions, and body appreciation. We then conducted follow-up interviews with a subset of participants (N=8). Interviews took approximately 30 minutes to complete and focused on questions about the content to which they were exposed over the study period, their feelings when exposed to such content, and questions about the experience of participating in the research.
Results
Paired samples t-tests revealed that the experience of completing the EMAs positively impacted participants’ body appreciation (p=.05) and negatively impacted participants’ social comparison (p=.03) and self-sexualization (p=.03).
Themes we identified in the qualitative data using thematic analysis highlighted that participants’ study experiences impacted their awareness of the content to which they were exposed and for some, prompted changes in media use habits. They also were aware of potential mechanisms through which impacts may occur (e.g., self-comparison).
Conclusions
The use of intensive longitudinal assessments can positively impact mental-health outcomes relevant to body appreciation. Asking participants to reflect on their perceptions of the content to which they are exposed can call attention to such content as well as potential effects, serving an intervention function and potentially benefitting participants. This research is innovative as it moves this area of research forward in terms of topic and methods to help positively impact the mental health of young women.