Nutrition Information on TikTok: A Qualitative Exploration of Posts from Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDN) and non-RDNs

Abstract

Registered Dietitian-Nutritionists (RDN) are using TikTok to promote their services and public nutrition knowledge. However, their viewer’s engagement and comments have yet to be explored. A descriptive qualitative study was conducted to identify the difference in posts by RDNs and non-RDNs. For one month, the engagement on posts from 4 creators (n=2 RDNs and n=2 non-RDNs) was recorded. The number of positive and negative comments and common comment topics were identified. Four post categories were identified: preparing meals, consuming nutritious food/meals, nutrition/diet tips, and indirectly nutrition related. Likes were the most common form of engagement. Most comments were positive (70%). The creators with more followers received more negative comments (27%) than those with less followers (6%). RDNs received more comments asking for nutrition advice (n>44) than non-RDNs (n<13). RDNs posted more about preparing meals and nutrition/diet tips while non-RDNs posted more about consuming nutritious food/meals and indirectly nutrition related. Informing RDNs of the usefulness of TikTok and of the expectations of their audience is important as the use of social media in health care is increasing. Thus, further research is important to ensure that we can inform RDNs on the best social media practices.