Are Nutrition Blogs a Trustworthy Source? Author Education, Evidence-Based Writing, and Types of Diets

Erfan Khazaee^1, and Jeanne H. Freeland-Graves¹

¹Department of Nutritional Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA

Cite this paper:
Erfan Khazaee and Jeanne H. Freeland-Graves. Are Nutrition Blogs a Trustworthy Source? Author Education, Evidence-Based Writing, and Types of Diets. Journal of Food and Nutrition Research. 2023; 11(4):277-285. doi: 10.12691/jfnr-11-4-1

Abstract

Background: 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. Objective: 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. Methods: 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. Results: 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<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<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<0.001). Conclusions: 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.

Keywords:
nutrition blogs food blogs social media evidence-based communication

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