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Abstract

Fitspiration is a type of health-related social media content that promotes healthy eating and physical activity. However, existing research offers inconclusive findings regarding the magnitude and direction of this association with exercise behavior. Therefore, to gain a better understanding of the positive and negative associations of Fitspiration content on adolescents, we investigated the mediating role of exercise motivation (intrinsic and extrinsic) in the relationship between exposure to Fitspiration content and exercise behavior. This cross-sectional study (N = 1,409) included adolescents aged 14–19 years (M = 16.1, SD = 1.2). Structural equation modeling was used to examine the relationship between exposure to Fitspiration content on visual social media (such as Instagram and TikTok) and exercise behavior, and whether it was mediated by intrinsic (health-related) and extrinsic (appearance-related) exercise motivation. The model revealed a positive direct association between exposure to Fitspiration content on visual social media and exercise behavior. In addition, health-related exercise motivation partially mediated this relationship, whereas appearance-related motivation did not. The findings of our study underscore the importance of a more detailed examination of the relationship between exposure to Fitspiration content and exercise behavior. The observed differences between health- and appearance-related motivations highlight the need for more attention to the distinct associations of intrinsic and extrinsic motivational appeals. Further research into the underlying psychological mechanisms and additional contextual factors is needed.

Social Media Handles (optional)

Isa Vos

BlueSky: @isavos.bsky.social

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isa-vos-b304a2129/

Thomas N. Friemel

BlueSky: @friemel.bsky.social

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-friemel-58a919/

Author ORCID Identifier

Isa Vos

ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-3231-0285

Thomas N. Friemel

ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8088-0113

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License

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