Diet and Psoriasis-Related Information on Instagram: A Quality and Content Analysis of Posts Under Popular Psoriasis Hashtags.

BACKGROUND

Psoriasis is a chronic immune-mediated skin condition. Evidence supporting dietary management of psoriasis is limited. However, People Living with Psoriasis (PLwP) trial dietary interventions as a management strategy, often taken from popular literature. Social media is a popular source of nutrition information. However, little is known about the dietary information suggested for psoriasis on these platforms. The aim of this study was to explore the dietary approaches suggested for psoriasis on Instagram and evaluate their quality.

METHODOLOGY: Cross-sectional content analysis of Instagram posts providing dietary information for plaque psoriasis management, posted under the 12 most popular psoriasis hashtags. Posts were evaluated for quality using the DISCERN instrument.

RESULTS

Overall, 138 Instagram posts were analysed. The most common type of dietary recommendation was 'exclusion', most frequently of alcohol and dairy. Detox and 'clean eating' were also frequently mentioned, as well as the inclusion of protein, and adherence to a gluten-free diet. The most common content creators were those with those with lived experience of psoriasis (29.7%). None of the posts were created by qualified nutrition professionals and only 6.5% were by healthcare professionals (HCPs). The majority (99%) of posts identified were of 'poor' quality.

CONCLUSION

Most dietary information on Instagram for managing psoriasis is poor quality, restrictive, unsubstantiated and shared by non-HCPs. Therefore, PLwP may be subject to dietary misinformation when using Instagram. HCPs should be equipped to counter diet and psoriasis misinformation. Further research is needed to investigate appropriate ways to provide dietary support for PLwP.