A STUDY ON THE EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA HEALTH INFLUENCERS ON YOUNG PEOPLE’S LIFESTYLE CHOICES

This study investigates the influence of health influencers in social media on the lifestyle decisions of the youth in Chennai, India. This study employs a sample of 100 participants aged between 18 and 35 and sophisticated statistical tools that include multiple regressions, factor analysis, cluster analysis, and chi- square estimation to establish the relationships that exist between lifestyle change and involvement of influencers. The results reveal a negligible influence of platform preference on behavior, but on the other hand, the use of social media and the presence or absence of following lifestyle health influences are two
important consequences of the behavior that predict the number of modifications made to the lifestyle. Verification behavior and inherent trust are the two major dimensions of perceived credibility established
through factor analysis. Cluster analysis based on the respondent’s active and changing behavior patterns
reveals that, thinking about the three different behavioral profiles, we can make a distinction between Active
Adopters, Moderate Followers, and Active Consumers. The hypothesis of non-homogeneity in the lifestyles between non-influencer followers and followers of an influencer was proved right due to statistical significance. The paper will complete an important research gap in India by providing empirical evidence on how digital health can influence the young people, as well as provide recommendations on future studies and programs that the government should implement. These are testament to the fact that the web-based influence should be one that can be trusted in changing lifestyles towards positivity in the era of social media.
Keywords: Health Influencers, Social Media, Lifestyle Decisions, Youth Behavior, Perceived Credibility,
Cluster Analysis