From fashion and beauty to fitness and food, influencers offer advice, tips and recommendations in a wide range of fields. Promoting good health has become commonplace on social networks, and users are now drawing inspiration from content creators, and even celebrities, to change some of their lifestyle habits.
But are these celebrities and influencers really the best health role models? That’s the question researchers from Washington State University have set out to investigate.
To do this, they surveyed 404 adults who claimed to have been inspired by role models in the health field. They were asked about their motivations in terms of physical and mental health, and the role models – or types of role models – that inspire them.
Published in the journal Health Communication, their findings suggest that having a personal role model, such as a family member or friend – or even a healthcare professional – has a greater impact on health motivation than a celebrity influencer.
“We know parents have a huge influence on shaping people’s health trajectories throughout their life just by teaching them about physical fitness and nutrition,” said the lead author Nicole O’Donnell, a Washington State University communications researcher.
“As this research shows, parents’ influence does matter, and it’s long-lasting, even well into adulthood.”
In detail, the study reports that when looking for health inspiration, participants are primarily concerned with “perceived similarity” – in other words, they look for a role model similar to themselves. As a result, almost two-thirds (64%) turn first and foremost to a family member, peer or acquaintance.
It should be noted, too, that women were 2.5 times more likely than men to choose this kind of personal role model.
“If you see a friend get a gym membership, or decide to run a half-marathon, you’re able to follow their journey, and you also have similar resources to be able to do the same thing,” O’Donnell said. “Celebrities often have personal chefs and trainers – they have a lot of resources that we don’t.”
However, this does not mean celebrities are not a source of motivation for people. They may not have the greatest influence, but they can have a positive impact, according to the experts.
In this regard, Dwayne Johnson, LeBron James, Tom Brady and Michelle Obama were the public figures most cited by the study participants.