Turning into vegetarians can cure COVID-19, birth control pills cause abortions, or eating ginger is 10,000 times more effective than chemotherapy at curing cancer were some casually trending health misinformation in the past year. But what is health misinformation, and why is it a serious public health concern?

Health misinformation refers to health-related information that is false, unverified, and lacking scientific evidence. It poses a significant threat to public health as it directly influences individual choices, collective decision-making, and societal behavior. This misinformation often leads people to make dangerous decisions based on false information. During the COVID-19 pandemic, health misinformation emerged as a global crisis, and its impact has only continued to grow at an alarming rate.

Today, a large number of people rely on new media technologies such as online encyclopedias, social media channels, and mobile health (mHealth) platforms to access health-related information. While these platforms enable swift information exchange, the lack of accountability, ineffective gatekeeping, and inadequate content regulation contribute to the uncontrolled spread of health misinformation. Moreover, widespread health illiteracy, linguistic barriers, and gullible social media users who struggle to evaluate health information further facilitate the rampant dissemination of unverified, false, and anti-scientific health claims.

Another concerning aspect is the increasing influence of social media influencers who promote products on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, often spreading unverified, unscientific, and misleading health recommendations. The rise of social media health influencers, lacking proper qualifications or certifications, has become apparent. The appeal of flashy photo filters, video editing techniques, and the constant pressure to produce new content to maintain followership contribute to the proliferation of visual health misinformation. In today’s digital age, a person’s perceived expertise often correlates with the number of social media followers they have. Additionally, there is a discreet market that sells artificial social media followers in the form of bots and fake accounts, further deceiving the public and compromising the credibility, reliability, and accuracy of health information.

The increasing spread of health misinformation has detrimental consequences, including suboptimal preventive care, growing vaccine hesitancy, low medication adherence, poor patient-provider communication, and heightened risks of illness and death. As responsible citizens, it is crucial for us to identify and address any health misinformation that may harm our health or that of our loved ones.

In the post-pandemic era, it is important for the general public to develop both health literacy and digital literacy to effectively recognize, evaluate, and report health misinformation. For individuals who rely on new media for health information, the following recommendations are valuable:

Always check the primary source. The credibility of the information source is crucial in assessing its accuracy, reliability, and trustworthiness.

Look for professional qualifications. Verify the expertise of the person sharing health advice. Do they possess the necessary educational qualifications or certifications? Do they consistently share reliable health information? It is advisable to rely on information from qualified health experts only.

Think critically. Adopt a critical approach to judge, question, and analyze health information rather than blindly accepting it. This mindset will help determine the authenticity and dependability of the information.

Be wary of conspiracies. Consider whether the information source or author has biases or prejudices that may contribute to the inclusion of health information within a conspiracy theory. Personal agendas can lead to falsehood and deception.

Look for fact-checking websites. The World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Library of Medicine, and the National Institutes of Health are the most authentic websites to check for facts and reliable health information. In addition, websites like FlackCheck, SciCheck, and Snopes analyze misinformation and are also good sources to double-check health information before acting upon them or sharing it further with your loved ones.

Neha Gour is a graduate student.