DIGITAL FOOD ENVIRONMENTS AND EATING BEHAVIOUR IN YOUNG ADULTS: A BEHAVIOURAL NUTRITION FRAMEWORK FOR HEALTHIER DIETARY CHOICES

Abstract

Digital food communication—including social-media posts, influencer content, online advertising, recipe videos, and nutrition advice—has become an important part of the information environment in which young adults make dietary decisions. Its influence is not uniform: content can increase awareness and motivation, but it can also promote confusing, commercialized, restrictive, or misleading messages. This narrative review synthesizes recent research on digital food communication, interpersonal influences, behavioural theory, and healthy-diet guidance to develop a practical framework for nutrition education and intervention design. Recent systematic evidence suggests that digital food communication can affect young adults’ nutrition-related cognition and behaviour, while barriers include difficulty distinguishing reliable advice from misinformation and a gap between intentions and everyday action. Dietary behaviour is also shaped by family, peers, affordability, food availability, culture, and time constraints. The review proposes an integrated model combining media and nutrition literacy, achievable behavioural goals, supportive social norms, practical food skills, and healthier choice environments. It recommends co-designed, culturally appropriate digital interventions that are transparent about sponsorship, avoid weight stigma, and assess actual dietary behaviour rather than engagement metrics alone. This article is a narrative synthesis and conceptual framework; it does not report new participant data or a new systematic search.