Analysis of nutrition related instagram posts from unprofessional profiles

Instagram which is prevalently in use with the rapid growth of technology nowadays, includes a significant number of profiles on nutrition and dietetics. However, most of them are managed by people except from dietetics profession. They disseminate knowledge about nutrition, recipes and diet programs to a wide range of people who can easily track their updates and shares. The motivation of this study stems from the requirement of the investigation of the accuracy of this kind of information considering the importance of human health. As a result of the investigations, it was discovered that such profiles mainly focus on detox and regional fat loose and the information they share contradicts. Thus, the topics of detox and spot reduction have been within the scope of this study. 284 Instagram profiles were analyzed and some frequency analyses were conducted on this data. The findings from the related literature supported to analyze the accuracy of the information obtained from these profiles. The results demonstrated that information disseminated from these pages contradicted with the information on the relevant literature. Moreover, they communicate information without proper references. As a result, this issue constitutes a huge problem for the health of individuals who have diet preferences based on the information from those pages. The findings revealed that information pollution exists in this area which should be regulated with appropriate control and sanctions. In addition to this, more accurate information should be given to individuals by professionals of dietetics and these professionals should be the consultants and provide proper guidance to the people. Keywords: Social Media, Detox, Spot Reduction