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A thematic content analysis of #cheatmeal images on social media: Characterizing an emerging dietary trend

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Abstract
Despite the pervasive social endorsement of “cheat meals” within pro-muscularity online communities,there is an absence of empirical work examining this dietary phenomenon. The present studyaimed to characterize cheat meals, and explore the meaning ascribed to engagement in this practice.Thematic content analysis was employed to code the photographic and textual elements of asample (n 5 600) that was extracted from over 1.6 million images marked with the #cheatmeal tagon the social networking site, Instagram. Analysis of the volume and type of food revealed thepresence of very large quantities (54.5%) of calorie-dense foods (71.3%) that was rated to qualifyas an objective binge episode. Photographic content of people commonly portrayed highlymuscularbodies (60.7%) in the act of intentional body exposure (40.0%). Meanwhile, textual contentexemplified the idealization of overconsumption, a strict commitment to fitness, and a rewardbasedframework around diet and fitness. Collectively, these findings position cheat meals as goalorienteddietary practices in the pursuit of physique-ideals, thus underscoring the potential clinicalrepercussions of this socially-endorsed dietary phenomenon.
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: | Pila, E and Mond, JM and Griffiths, S and Mitchison, D and Murray, SB |
Keywords: | Binge eating, Cheat meal, Content analysis, Eating disorders |
Journal or Publication Title: | The International journal of eating disorders |
Publisher: | John Wiley & Sons Inc |
ISSN: | 0276-3478 |
DOI / ID Number: | 10.1002/eat.22671 |
Copyright Information: | Copyright 2017 Wiley Periodicals |
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Item Statistics: | View statistics for this item |
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