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Description

Social media platforms often serve as sources of community and culturally relevant health information, providing accessibility to healthy lifestyle choices. This study explored the health and fitness messages that Generation Z (Gen Z), African American female college students encounter on social media, aiming to understand how these messages influence health behaviors and can inform culturally tailored health interventions. Data collection occurred in two phases, the first involved interviews with 35 participants about their perceptions of health messages on social media, while phase 2 investigated 19 participants' eating and fitness habits. All participants attended a large historically Black university. Qualitative analysis revealed three recurring themes: fitspiration, exercise, and nutrition awareness. The fitspiration theme highlighted motivational content promoting fitness and body positivity linked to specific health goals, while exercise involved actual engagement in physical activity. Nutrition awareness explored the influence of social media trends on dietary choices and nutritional knowledge. The findings suggest that social media provides health information to Gen Z African American women, particularly when they actively seek it out. However, it remains unclear whether the sporadic nature of health information encountered casually can have a long-term impact on health behaviors. Limitations of the study include the sample of college students, which may affect their engagement with social media and response to health-related messages. Future phases of the study will include quantitative data collection to assess whether social media messages lead to changes in health behaviors.

Publication Date

4-1-2025

Keywords

social media, health messaging, fitness, nutrition, Generation Z, African American women, college students, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), qualitative research, interviews, health behaviors, fitspiration, exercise, dietary choices, motivational content, body positivity, physical activity, nutritional knowledge, health interventions, culturally tailored, health information, sporadic exposure, long-term impact, health behavior change, social media influence, health communication, digital health, health disparities, health equity, health promotion, online health content.

Health Social Media’s Influence on Gen Z African American Women

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