@article{jfnr20231141,
author={{Khazaee, Erfan and Freeland-Graves, Jeanne H.},
title={Are Nutrition Blogs a Trustworthy Source? Author Education, Evidence-Based Writing, and Types of Diets},
journal={Journal of Food and Nutrition Research},
volume={11},
number={4},
pages={277--285},
year={2023},
url={http://pubs.sciepub.com/jfnr/11/4/1},
issn={2333-1240},
abstract={<b>Background:</b> The internet is a major source for nutrition information and nutrition blogs are a popular format for information dissemination. However, the quality of these websites and diets discussed is unclear. <b>Objective:</b> To investigate relationships of evidence-based writing practice with nutrition blog type and author education, identify diets discussed, and examine relationships of social media following, according to blog type and author education. <b>Methods:</b> A purposive-snowball sampling approach was utilized to locate nutrition blogs. Inclusion criteria for blogs (n = 500) were: active website, focused on nutrition/food, written in English, and free access. Outcome measures were evidence-based writing (inclusion of references to support posts), blog type, author education, diet types discussed, and number of social media followers. Descriptive statistics, chi-square, and negative binomial regression were utilized. <b>Results:</b> Author education included: 219 Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs), 175 none listed, 71 bachelor¡¯s degrees, and 35 graduate degrees. The majority of independent blogs (~57%) and those from government/food commodity organizations (~71%) practiced evidence-based writing, while ~60% of blogs from food/nutrition companies did not (P&lt;0.05). The majority of bloggers with RDN (77%) and graduate degrees (72%) exhibited evidence-based writing; while 65% of those with bachelor¡¯s degrees and 82% of those with no education listed did not (P&lt;0.001). Twenty-nine types of diet were identified; plant-based was the most frequently discussed (76 blogs), followed by ketogenic (62) and detox (61). RDN authors had 2 times more followers on Instagram and Facebook and 5 times more on Twitter, as compared to authors with no education listed (P&lt;0.001). <b>Conclusion</b><b>s</b><b>:</b> Bloggers with RDNs and graduate degrees were more likely to practice evidence-based writing. Websites with RDN authors had the highest social media following. The most popular diets discussed were plant-based, ketogenic, and detox. Future studies should assess credibility of the information published.},
doi={10.12691/jfnr-11-4-1}
publisher={Science and Education Publishing}
}