The Effect Of #wieiad Videos On Intentions To Change Diet And Exercise In Young Men

TikTok is one of the most widely used social media platforms by young adults. A popular trend on TikTok is what I eat in a day (#WIEIAD) videos, which showcase meal plans, recipes, and physical appearance. It is important to understand the effects that viewing this idealized content has on body image and emotional outcomes, including in young men, a population often marginalized in body image research. PURPOSE. The purpose of the present study was to examine direct and indirect effects of viewing WIEIAD videos on TikTok on young men’s intentions to change diet and exercise. METHODS. Young men (N = 221; aged 18-30 years) were recruited on Cloud Research Connect. Participants were randomly assigned to view 7-minutes of WIEIAD videos or travel videos (control). Participants completed pre and post manipulation measures of fitness-related envy, and post manipulation measures of appearance comparisons and intentions to change diet and exercise. Direct and indirect effects were tested using PROCESS model 6 in SPSS (serial mediation). RESULTS: Viewing WIEIAD videos did not directly predict intentions to change diet (β = -.07, p = .691) or exercise (β = -.23, p = .271 ); however it was associated with higher upward appearance comparisons (β = 1.23, p < .001). Upward appearance comparisons predicted higher fitness-related envy (β = 2.58, p = < .001). Fitness-related envy did not predict higher intentions to change diet (β = .01, p = .553) or exercise (β = .01, p = .487); however, appearance comparisons predicted higher intentions to change diet (β = .43, p = <.001), and intentions to change exercise (β = .35, p = <.001). CONCLUSIONS: Viewing WIEIAD videos on TikTok influences intentions to change diet and exercise in young men through upward appearance comparisons. Given that social media has negative effects on mental health, researchers should further investigate if these intentions lead to adaptive or maladaptive health behaviors in young men. Supported by: This work was supported through funding obtained by Kimberley Gammage from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada