Comparison of the prevalence of lifestyle factors depicted in influencers posts in 2022 and 2024

Abstract Background Considering that content created by influencers in social networks might act as a risk factor to health and it might change over the time, we aimed to compare the prevalence of lifestyle-related factors in posts published by Lithuanian influencers on Facebook and Instagram in 2022 and 2024. Material and methods All 12433 publicly available posts created by 39 most popular Lithuanian influencers on Facebook and Instagram in 2022 and 2024 were included. The content analysis of the posts was performed in the structured manner. Information about foods, smoking, alcohol, physical activity, body type and mental health factors was registered and compared between the years. Results In 2024, on Instagram, depiction prevalence of smoking, bullying, and normal weight body remained similar (respectively, 0.8%, 3.1%, 89.2%, p > 0.05). On Instagram, depiction prevalence of aesthetic procedures and slim body decreased (respectively, 46.5% vs. 39.1%, 2.4% vs. 0.7%, p ≤ 0.05). On Instagram, depiction prevalence of alcohol, food, luxury, sexuality, physical activity, overweight body, and obese body increased (respectively, 11.1% vs. 4.9%, 33.1% vs. 28.1%, 39.1% vs. 17.0%, 16.6% vs. 14.6%, 20.7% vs. 12.9%, 31.4% vs. 13.7%, 5.4% vs. 1.8%, p ≤ 0.05). On Facebook, depiction prevalence of alcohol, smoking, food, aesthetic procedures, and physical activity remained similar (respectively, 2.5%, 0.4%, 21.3%, 10.5%, 20.3%, p > 0.05). Depiction prevalence of bullying, luxury, slim body, obese body decreased (respectively, 4.8% vs. 3.6%, 17.7% vs. 11.2%, 1.4% vs. 0.3%, 9.0%, 5.4%, p ≤ 0.05), depiction of sexuality, normal weight body, and overweight body increased (5.6% vs. 4.6%, 75.5% vs. 67.8%, 27.9% vs. 13.6%, p ≤ 0.05). Conclusions Despite some differences between the social networks, in 2024, depiction prevalence of slim body decreased, depiction prevalence of sexuality and overweight body increased. Depiction of smoking remained similar. Key messages • Despite some differences between the social networks, in 2024, depiction of slim body decreased, depiction of sexuality and overweight body increased. • The depiction prevalence of many factors changed over two years, indicating the need for a continuous surveillance process if such social listening is to be used as part of public health monitoring.