Health · Medical Research · 15 hrs ago
Appealing images of healthy food linked to teens’ willingness to eat it
A study found that appealing photos of healthy meals were linked to teens’ willingness to eat them.
It involved 203 adolescents aged 13 to 19 in India who had Instagram accounts.
Over 15 days, participants viewed images of healthy foods and fast foods through private study accounts.
Researchers compared posts with nutritional captions against posts with food names only.
The study did not compare food images with no images, so it cannot show whether the photos themselves caused the interest.
The researchers said the findings suggest attractive images could help promote healthier food choices; the study did not say what happens next.
A study of adolescents in India found that appealing images of healthy foods were linked to willingness to eat them.
The researchers tested the images on Instagram and compared posts with nutritional descriptions against posts with food names only.
The study involved 203 adolescents aged 13 to 19 who took part over 15 days.
It did not compare food imagery with a group that saw no food images.
- Who
- Researchers and 203 adolescents in India aged 13 to 19.
- What
- The study examined whether appealing images of healthy foods were linked to adolescents’ willingness to eat them.
- When
- Participants took part for 15 days. The study’s publication date was November 9, 2026.
- Where
- India; images were shown through private Instagram accounts created for the study.
- Why
- Researchers investigated whether eye-catching images could encourage healthier food choices among adolescents.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Researchers pretested questionnaires and food images with adolescents who were not in the final sample.
Participants viewed food images on private Instagram accounts and completed daily questionnaires.
19 adolescents took part in semi-structured telephone interviews.
- Participants
- 203 adolescents aged 13 to 19
- Study duration
- 15 days
- Image categories
- Non-core foods, core regular images and core foodporn images
- Instagram groups
- 101 saw nutritional descriptions; 102 saw food names only
- Interviews
- 19 adolescents took part one week later