Efecto de las redes sociales sobre la conducta alimentaria y su asociación con los motivos de elección de alimentos en estudiantes de la Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud de la UCSG, periodo A-2026.

Abstract

Excess malnutrition among young university students constitutes a public health problem. The general objective was to analyze the perceived effect of social media on eating behavior and its association with food choice motives among students from the FCS-UCSG during the A-2026 academic term. A quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional, and descriptive-correlational study was conducted with a sample of 495 students from five-degree programs, selected through non-probability quota sampling. The Social Media Effects on Eating Behavior Scale (SESMEB) and the Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ) were administered, showing adequate internal consistency (SESMEB α = 0.92; FCQ α = 0.68–0.86). The perceived effect was homogeneous. The most prominent items were increased appetite (mean = 3.40; 47.9% reported “often/always”), searching for meal ideas (3.26; 42.8%), and snack cravings (3.10; 37.3%). The most highly valued food choice motives were sensory appeal (mean = 5.32), price (5.22), and convenience (5.18); health ranked fourth (5.15). Spearman correlations between SESMEB and FCQ dimensions were mostly null or non-significant. Associations were identified with sensory appeal (p=−0.128; p=0.004), weight control (ρ=0.093; p=0.039), and ethical concern (p=0.118; p=0.009), although these were very small. After correction for multiple comparisons, the associations with sensory appeal and ethical concern remained significant. It is concluded that students perceive social media as influencing immediate food-related decisions; however, it is not associated with their food choice motives. Therefore, the hypothesis of a relevant association was not confirmed.