Engagement and Influence of Food-Related Videos on Social Media Within the Dietary Realities of Young Adults in Jamaica and the United Kingdom: Qualitative Cross-National Study.

Background: The rise of video-based social media platforms and the shift toward a video-first content strategy by social media companies have altered how people consume and engage with food-related content. However, little is known about how young adults experience, interpret, and are influenced by food-related videos on social media across different national and cultural contexts. Objective: This paper explores how young adults in Jamaica and the United Kingdom experience, interpret, and are influenced by food-related videos on social media. Methods: Twelve focus groups (online and in-person, 6 in Jamaica and 6 in the United Kingdom) were conducted between August and November 2024. Sixty participants attended the focus groups; after excluding data from 7 individuals suspected of misrepresenting their eligibility, the final dataset included 53 participants aged 18-25 years. Discussions explored their experiences with food-related videos. Transcripts were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis as the foundation, complemented by framework analysis, and the constant comparison method to facilitate cross-national and cross-cultural comparison. Results: Our analysis generated four themes: (1) young adults balance algorithmic influence with personal curation; (2) young adults engage with food-related videos for relaxation, amusement, and learning; (3) young adults evaluate food-related content through inquiry and strategy-using quick credibility checks such as comparing sources, reviewing comments, assessing transparency, and considering cultural context before deciding whether to trust or ignore content; and (4) food choices form at the intersection of online and offline worlds. A unified high-order theme, "a journey of influence," captures how young adults move from exposure to evaluation and filter digital experiences through offline realities, leading to change or continuity in dietary attitudes and behaviors. Although this journey was consistent in Jamaica and UK focus groups, the ways young adults interpreted food-related content varied culturally. Conclusions: This cross-national qualitative study showcases how and why young adults engage with food-related videos on social media, and how these interactions shape their attitudes and behaviors toward food and nutrition. Our conceptual map visualizes the influence of food-related videos as a dynamic process unfolding across digital and offline environments, identifying 3 decision points for intervention: exposure, evaluation, and contextualization. These findings highlight opportunities to design youth-responsive digital nutrition interventions that recognize young adults' agency and the sociocultural and material realities that shape their food choices and eating habits.