Exploring Weight Loss Medication Discourse: Mixed Methods Analysis of US-Based Facebook Posts

Authors

• Elizabeth Dennard MPH, University of Maryland at College Park
• Katrina Makres MPH, University of Maryland at College Park
• Amrutha Alibilli, University of Maryland at College Park
• Vidur Jain, University of Maryland at College Park
• Anne Wang, University of Maryland at College Park
• Roger Abim-Karmon, Furman University
• Shaniece Criss ScD, Furman UniversityFollow
• Yulin Hswen ScD, University of Maryland at College Park
• Quynh C. Nguyen PhD, National Institutes of Health
• Alexandria Ratzki-Leewing PhD, University of Maryland - Baltimore
• Rozalina G. McCoy MD, University of Maryland - Baltimore
• Thu T. Nguyen ScD, University of Maryland at College Park

Document Type

Article (Journal or Newsletter)

Publication Date

5-7-2026

Abstract

Background: Despite the documented clinical efficacy of weight loss medications, few large-scale mixed methods studies have captured the experiences of individuals taking these medications.

Objective: This study aims to examine dominant themes and public narratives about the perceived benefits, challenges, identity-based experiences, and the broader sociocultural framing of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist use on Facebook.

Methods: We used CrowdTangle to collect 2500 US-based Facebook posts from January 1, 2022, to May 31, 2024. Bidirectional encoder representations from transformers topic modeling was used to identify latent topics, followed by a qualitative thematic analysis.

Results: An analysis of 2500 Facebook posts revealed distinct thematic patterns across five unique subcategories: (1) healthy weight management, (2) weight loss medications, (3) discussion specific to semaglutide, (4) discussions specific to Ozempic, and (5) public figures and media. Thirteen overarching themes emerged through this thematic analysis, with the most common themes including weight management programs (n=702), neutral content related to weight loss medication use (n=466), harms of weight loss medication use (n=373), benefits of weight loss medication use (n=329), and access to these medications (n=188).

Conclusions: Social media provides critical insights into individual experiences with pharmacotherapy and weight management. Enhanced public education may optimize the safe use of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists for weight loss.

Scholarship Type

Faculty Scholarship

Second Scholarship Type

Student Scholarship

Comments

JMIR Infodemiology, Volume 6. https://doi.org/10.2196/89732

Additional Affiliated Department, Center or Institute

Health Sciences

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Dennard, Elizabeth MPH; Makres, Katrina MPH; Alibilli, Amrutha; Jain, Vidur; Wang, Anne; Abim-Karmon, Roger; Criss, Shaniece ScD; Hswen, Yulin ScD; Nguyen, Quynh C. PhD; Ratzki-Leewing, Alexandria PhD; McCoy, Rozalina G. MD; and Nguyen, Thu T. ScD, "Exploring Weight Loss Medication Discourse: Mixed Methods Analysis of US-Based Facebook Posts" (2026). Health Sciences Publications. 5.
https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/hsc-publications/5