JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

With the increasing use of social media, platforms like Twitter (X) have become popular channels for disseminating health information. In Saudi Arabia, Twitter (X) is widely used, making it an effective tool for health awareness. However, the accuracy of nutrition-related content on social media is often questioned.

Objective:

The study objective is to evaluate the accuracy and evidence-based quality of nutrition-related tweets posted by reputable Saudi health and nutrition awareness providers.

Methods:

A mixed-methods content analysis was conducted on tweets published by seven Saudi health organizations, examining content in Arabic and English over 12 months. A total of 531 nutrition-related tweets were analyzed for accuracy, popularity, and evidence inclusion by a panel of experts in clinical nutrition, food science, and technology.

Results:

Findings indicate that 83.8% of the tweets were accurate, while only 3.2% included cited evidence. Significant relationships were observed between tweet accuracy and the source organization, content type, and tweet timing. Governmental sources had higher popularity and were more frequently accurate compared to non-governmental sources.

Conclusions:

Reputable Twitter (X) accounts in Saudi Arabia generally provide accurate nutrition-related content, though evidence citation is minimal. Users are encouraged to rely on reputable accounts for health information, and further research is suggested to explore the quality of evidence in such posts.