Background: The present research was conducted with the aim of qualitative analysis of health-related motivational content in the posts of sports influencers.
Methods: This research employed a qualitative method based on qualitative content analysis. The data consisted of 300 posts purposively selected based on specific criteria from the social networks Instagram and X. Content analysis was conducted using coding and categorization of the content based on their positive or negative impacts. To ensure the validity of the analyses, peer debriefing was used to enhance the accuracy and correctness of the coding. Additionally, to increase the reliability of the analyses, recoding was performed by critical friends to examine the consistency of the codes.
Results: The results indicated that the content falls into two main categories: motivational (positive) content and pressuring (negative) content. Motivational content included the promotion of a healthy lifestyle, body positivity and self-esteem, individual success and progress, balance between physical and mental health, inspiration, social solidarity, digital well-being, and self-care. Pressuring content encompassed social comparison, excessive emphasis on fitness, neglecting mental health, imposing unattainable body ideals, creating anxiety and stress, inducing guilt, promoting unhealthy products, and disregarding individual differences.
Conclusion: Motivational and inspiring content motivates people and encourages healthy choices, while stressful content and social comparisons negatively impact people's self-esteem and mental health. Influencers should consider the balance between promoting physical and mental health in their content design and avoid creating unnecessary pressures and unattainable body ideals.