Social Media Influencers, Health Literacy, and Food Literacy: A Correlational Study Among Adolescents

Social media influencers (SMIs) have emerged as a significant alternative source of health-related information for adolescents, apart from their parents, doctors, and schools. It is yet to be determined whether adolescents' use of social media influencers leads to a deterioration or an improvement of their overall health literacy and food literacy. This study (N = 509), for one thing, investigated adolescents' health literacy (using the MOHLAA-Q), food literacy (using the SFLQ), and use of social media influencers as sources of information on healthy lifestyles (mapped through self-report questions). For another, it studied whether correlations appear to exist between SMI use, health literacy, and food literacy. The results show that the more frequently adolescents use SMIs as sources of information, the better their health literacy and food literacy are. Consequently, health promotors, such as schools and healthcare professionals, should use the channels adolescents use to enhance their critical health and food literacy, and ultimately their health.