Şemsi Gül YILMAZ KOCAMAN, Murat ALTAN, Hasan YILDIRIM
Türkiye Aile Hekimliği Dergisi - 2026;30(2):139-150
Objective: Social media use has become increasingly widespread among young adults and may influence eating-related behaviors and body weight outcomes. However, evidence regarding platform-specific social media use, body mass index (BMI), and eating attitudes among young adult women remains limited. Therefore, this study examined associations between social media platform use, BMI categories, and eating attitudes among women aged 19-32 years. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between February and March 2025 among voluntarily recruited women aged 19-32 years through face-to-face interviews conducted in university and community settings in Elazığ, Türkiye. A total of 456 participants completed questionnaires covering sociodemographic characteristics, anthropometric measurements, social media use patterns, and the Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26). Statistical analyses were performed using R (version 4.4.1), IBM SPSS Statistics (version 26), and MedCalc Statistical Software (version 21). Results: Participants' mean age was 22.67 +/- 3.50 years and mean BMI was 22.58 +/- 3.73 kg/m²; 66.2% were normal weight and 76.1% had an associate degree level of education. BMI categories differed significantly by use of Facebook, X (Twitter), and TikTok, and by weekly social media visit frequency (p < 0.05). EAT-26 scores increased significantly across higher BMI categories (p < 0.001). Women in the pre-obese and obese groups had significantly higher EAT-26 scores than those in the underweight and normal-weight groups (p < 0.001). Platform-specific differences were also observed: X (Twitter) use was associated with mean BMI (p = 0.014), while YouTube (p = 0.035) and Snapchat use (p = 0.013) were associated with mean EAT-26 scores. Correlation analyses indicated generally weak associations between social media use measures and both BMI and EAT-26 scores (r = 0.03-0.31). Conclusion: Social media use patterns differed across BMI categories, and higher BMI levels were associated with more impaired eating attitudes among young adult women. These findings highlight the importance of considering social media-related factors in strategies aimed at promoting healthy eating behaviors and reducing disordered eating risk in this population.
