The effect of social media on nutritional support knowledge levels and preference methods of adult individuals

ABSTRACT The use of nutritional supplements is becoming more and more widespread when macro and micronutrients taken in daily nutrition are insufficient. In this case, the nutritional supplement sector has become a developing market day by day. It can be said that the idea of protecting against diseases, strengthening the immune system brought about by the anxiety and worry experienced during epidemic processes, easy access to these products, and nutritional supplement advertisements are effective in this increase in prevalence. With the advancement of Web 2.0 technologies, social media has entered our lives and has become a platform that affects consumer behavior. This research is of a descriptive type and was conducted in order to examine the effect of social media on the nutritional supplement knowledge levels and preference methods of adult individuals. The planned thesis study is observational analytical in nature and is a cross-sectional study. The sample of the research consisted of a total of 108 individuals, 87 female (%80,6) and 19 male (%19,4) living in Turkey and using social media between March 1 and May 1, 2024. As a result of the research, the total scale score averages of the individuals were; Basic Nutrition Knowledge score was determined as 52.29±8.96 (medium), Food Preference as 35.12±5.24 (medium), Social Media Addiction as 15.42±5.38. A negative significant difference was found between the basic nutrition score according to the participants' use of food supplements (p<0.05). A positive significant difference was found in the social media addiction score according to the participants' use of food supplements (p<0.05). A statistically significant difference was found between food preference and social media addiction scores (p<0.05). A low-power negative significant relationship was found between basic nutrition knowledge and social media addiction (r=-.212; p<0.05). As a result; as the participants' basic nutrition knowledge levels increase, their social media addiction levels decrease. It is recommended that studies be conducted to investigate the controlled use of food supplements and related factors. Keywords: Nutritional Supplement, Nutrition, Vitamins and Minerals, Social Media