Edutainment: Can the use of short video apps improve household food consumption? Evidence from rural China

To ensure nutritional intake and reduce the occurrence of diet-related diseases, it is urgent to promote a healthy diet. At present, short video apps with information dissemination, social and shopping functions are widely used, which has changed the way people obtain and exchange information, and the way of life and consumption. Exploring whether the use of short video apps can affect food consumption choices provides new ideas for promoting the dietary transformation of the residents. Based on the first-hand micro-survey data of 2,000 rural households in 100 villages in 5 provinces of China in 2023, the effects of the use of short video apps on rural household food consumption were explored. The results show that the use of short video apps can promote the increase of per capita food consumption and dietary diversity of households, mainly reflected in the increase of consumption of aquatic products, fruits, poultry, pork and soybeans, but cannot improve the food health index of households. The use of short video apps mainly promotes dietary diversity by improving nutrition awareness. Its promotion effect on dietary diversity is more significant in high-income groups, and it can improve the dietary diversity of villages with express delivery points, without food markets and at far distances. The use of short video apps can help improve dietary awareness and reduce the impact of location and supporting facilities on food acquisition to a certain extent.