3 March 2025
A new Healthy Future initiative aims to explore how AOMs are presented on social media and the impact of these portrayals on public perceptions of obesity and healthy living. The project combines insights from communication science, health law, and public health to address the risks associated with misleading or harmful content about AOMs. The research team includes Dr. Monique Alblas, Dr. Eline Smit, and Dr. Saar Mollen from the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences (FMG) at the University of Amsterdam, specializing in Communication Science. Dr. Luc Hagenaars and Dr. Coosje Dijkstra from the Faculty of Medicine (FdG) at Amsterdam UMC bring expertise in Public and Occupational Health, while Dr. Bastiaan Wallage from the Faculty of Law (FdR) focuses on Health Law. Dr. Bibian van der Voorn from VU Health Sciences adds a public health perspective. We discussed with Dr. Albas and Dr. Hagenaars the motivation behind the project.
“Obesity is a painful subject for many,” says Dr. Luc Hagenaars. “Many people see obesity as an individual problem, which fuels stigma and hampers meaningful public health policies. The new weight-loss drugs are getting attention and could disrupt this view, but they also risk reinforcing obesity as an individual, biomedical issue. Social media plays a huge role in shaping how we understand issues like obesity, and we aim to understand how this affects public discourse.”
Social media influencers and celebrities often present AOMs as effortless solutions, but the reality is more complicated. Dr. Monique Alblas highlights the risks of one-sided, medically inaccurate, or commercially driven health advice shared online. “Social media has become a primary source of health information for many, particularly young people,” she says. “But this information often overlooks the potential side effects of AOMs or their broader societal impacts, like medication shortages or increasing health inequalities. Our research will look at how exposure to this content may shape public attitudes toward AOMs, obesity, and the importance of a healthy diet.”
Through automated content analysis and focus groups, the research team aims to uncover the narratives surrounding AOMs on social media. They will examine how these portrayals might perpetuate weight stigma, influence individuals' views on obesity, and potentially lead to unsafe use of medications. “We need to understand whether social media is contributing to a culture of unhealthy weight loss practices and promoting misinformation that could have serious consequences for both physical and mental health,” adds Alblas.
The research will also focus on how to protect individuals from harmful content related to AOMs. By developing evidence-based communication strategies, including content restrictions, warning messages, and misinformation debunking campaigns, the team hopes to create a healthier online environment. The project’s external partners—Partnership Overweight Netherlands (PON), Health and Youth Care Inspectorate (IGJ), Keuringsraad Aanprijzing Gezondheidsproducten (KAG), and the Netherlands Nutrition Centre—will play a crucial role in translating these findings into actionable policy recommendations.
“The involvement of our external partners ensures that our research has practical implications,” says Alblas. “Their expertise will help us understand whether the portrayal of AOMs on social media violates existing regulations and how we can use this information to protect the public.”
This interdisciplinary initiative is not only about understanding the current landscape of AOM marketing on social media but also about reshaping how health communications are approached in the digital age. By combining insights from multiple fields, the project aims to develop holistic solutions that address the challenges posed by AOM misinformation.
“The importance of effective communication strategies has never been more apparent,” says Dr. Hagenaars. “After the lessons learned from the Covid pandemic, we now need to apply interdisciplinary science in a disciplined way to ensure that the narrative surrounding AOMs on social media doesn't harm public health.”