Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Sep 11, 2024
Date Accepted: Aug 10, 2025
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
GLP-1 Medications in the Social Media Spotlight: Content Analysis of Women's Health, Nontraditional Access, and Barriers to Access
ABSTRACT
Background:
Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) medications, recently introduced in the US for treating type 2 diabetes and obesity, have sparked interest and discussion on social media. Social media has emerged as a prominent platform for the distribution of health information; its vast user base and accessibility making it a popular resource for individuals seeking medical advice.
Objective:
This study characterized GLP-1-related content on Instagram about three critical areas of public health – women’s health, access from nontraditional settings, and barriers to access.
Methods:
We examined 40 GLP-1 related Instagram posts to develop a list of the most frequently used hashtags. Ten “top posts” were collected for 7 days (July 11-17 2023) for 11 study hashtags (e.g., #Ozempic; n=770). Duplicates, deleted posts/accounts, non-English content, and unrelated posts were removed. Each post was reviewed by at least two coders. Coding discrepancies were resolved through discussion.
Results:
The final sample included 239 posts. More than half of posts (n=130) were from GLP-1 medication users. Raters perceived most users to be female (92.8%); inferred that most used medications for weight-loss (53.1%); determined the most frequently noted health condition was PCOS (19.2); judged posts to have positive sentiments about well-being (49.2%) and towards the medications (76.9%). About a quarter of posts (23.0%) offered services for obtaining GLP-1 medications; GLP-1 medications were perceived to be accessible via non-traditional healthcare settings (e.g., medical spas) versus traditional (16.3% vs. 5.0%). Most users (80.4%) were perceived to be white; barriers to access (i.e., shortages, insurance, cost) were infrequently mentioned (2.5%, 1.3%, 0.4%, respectively).
Conclusions:
Findings highlight the perceived benefits of GLP-1 medications on women’s health, the need to increase health literacy about where to safely access medications, and how additional attention is needed for equitable access to GLP-1 medications. The onus is on social media companies to promote content that is safe and for the healthcare system and its payors to address healthcare inequities for historically marginalized communities.
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