How to Combat Health Misinformation in the US

TL;DR

How to identify and avoid health misinformation?

1. Educating the public: Teach individuals to distinguish between facts and opinions, recognize logical fallacies, verify claims with evidence, and report suspicious content. 
2. Empowering health professionals: Enable healthcare experts to communicate accurately, address misconceptions, and provide reliable information. 
3. Engaging with online platforms: Monitor, moderate, and promote accurate content on social media, while offering fact-checking tools. 
4. Collaboration: Foster cooperation among health experts, policymakers, and other stakeholders to share knowledge and evaluate interventions.

How to counter and prevent health misinformation?

To effectively combat health misinformation, the approach must extend beyond education and strategies to address underlying causes: 

1. Emotional biases: Acknowledge that individuals often seek information that confirms their beliefs and emotions, perpetuating confirmation bias and affective bias. 
2. Social biases: Recognize that people trust sources that align with their values, leading to social bias. 
3. Manipulative forces: Understand external actors like political, economic, and ideological entities can exploit misinformation to achieve their goals.

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What is Health Misinformation?

Defining health misinformation is akin to spotlighting a malevolent jester in the realm of knowledge. A grave concern, it casts its shadow over the health and well-being of a multitude of Americans. In scholarly terms, health misinformation assumes the guise of "information that is false, Inaccurate, or misleading according to the best available evidence at the time." Its origins, much like a troupe of miscreants, encompass a diverse ensemble—ranging from the boisterous realms of social media and the virtual domains of websites to the contemplative world of blogs and the enchanting realms of podcasts, videos, books, magazines, newspapers, and even the exalted platforms of radio and television. In a twist that would make M. Night Shyamalan nod in approval, even those adorned with the title of health professionals can, at times, unwittingly contribute to this collective. Truly, the web of health misinformation weaves itself from varied strands, delivering its dark punchline with a wry sense of humor.

What is the prevalence of health misinformation?

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the prevalence and impact of health misinformation in the US. According to a recent survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF):

·   About two-thirds of Americans (67%) say they have heard or seen at least one piece of health misinformation about COVID-19 in the past week. 

The most common types of health misinformation about COVID-19 include:

• false or unproven claims about the origins of the virus,
• the effectiveness and safety of vaccines and treatments,
• the severity and spread of the disease, and 
• the reliability and validity of testing and data.

 

Why is health misinformation harmful?

Health misinformation can have negative consequences for individuals and society. It can lead to confusion, fear, distrust, anxiety, anger, polarization, and reduced adherence to public health guidelines. It can also undermine the credibility and authority of health experts and institutions. Health misinformation can contribute to poor health outcomes, such as increased morbidity and mortality, reduced quality of life, increased health disparities, and increased health care costs.

The survey also found that health misinformation can influence people's attitudes and behaviors regarding COVID-19. 

·     For example, among those who believe that hydroxychloroquine is an effective treatment for COVID-19 (a claim that has been debunked by multiple studies), 37% say they are not likely to get a COVID-19 vaccine compared to 14% of those who do not believe this claim. 

·    Similarly, among those who believe that wearing a mask does not help prevent the spread of COVID-19 (a claim that contradicts the scientific consensus), 29% say they are not likely to get a COVID-19 vaccine compared to 11% of those who do not believe this claim.

The KFF survey also revealed that there are significant differences in exposure to and belief in health misinformation among different groups of Americans. 

·    For instance, Republicans are more likely than Democrats and independents to report hearing or seeing health misinformation about COVID-19 (77% vs. 61% and 65%, respectively) and to believe some of these claims (31% vs. 15% and 21%, respectively). 

·    Similarly, younger adults (ages 18-29) are more likely than older adults (ages 65+) to report hearing or seeing health misinformation about COVID-19 (74% vs. 58%) and to believe some of these claims (28% vs. 12%).

The KFF survey also showed that there are low levels of trust in various sources of health information among Americans. 

·    The most trusted sources of health information are doctors and nurses (85%), public health officials such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (76%), and scientific research organizations such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (73%). 

·     The least trusted sources of health information are social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter (16%), celebrities and influencers (13%), and politicians (12%).

How to identify and avoid health misinformation?

Given the widespread and harmful effects of health misinformation in the US, it is imperative to develop and implement effective strategies to combat it. Some of the possible strategies include:

●   Educating the public: Teach individuals about how to identify and evaluate health information sources, how to distinguish between facts and opinions, how to recognize logical fallacies and cognitive biases, how to verify claims with evidence, and how to report or flag suspicious or misleading content .

●   Empowering health professionals: enable healthcare experts to communicate clearly and accurately with their patients and the public, to address their questions and concerns, to correct any misconceptions or myths they may have, to provide them with reliable and up-to-date information and resources, and to encourage them to seek credible sources of health information .

●   Engaging with online platforms: interacting with social media platforms and other online intermediaries to monitor and moderate health-related content, to remove or label false or misleading content, to promote or prioritize accurate and trustworthy content, to provide users with easy access to fact-checking tools and alternative sources of information, and to enforce transparent and consistent policies and standards .

●   Collaboration: Enhancing collaboration among health experts, researchers, journalists, policymakers, educators, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders to share best practices and lessons learned, to coordinate efforts and resources, to develop common standards and guidelines, to conduct research and evaluation on the causes and consequences of health misinformation as well as the effectiveness of interventions .

 

How to counter and prevent misinformation?

These  strategies may not be enough if we do not address the root causes of why people fall for health misinformation in the first place. What makes people susceptible to health misinformation? What motivates people to spread or share health misinformation? What are the psychological and social factors that influence people's perception and processing of health information?

1.   One possible explanation: people are driven by their emotions, values, and identities, rather than by their rationality, evidence, and logic. People tend to seek out and accept information that confirms their existing beliefs and biases and reject or ignore information that challenges or contradicts them. This is known as confirmation bias. People also tend to favor information that appeals to their emotions, such as fear, anger, or hope, rather than information that requires cognitive effort, such as statistics, graphs, or tables. This is known as affective bias. People also tend to trust and follow information that comes from sources that share their values, identities, and worldviews, such as their friends, family, or community members, rather than sources that differ from them or oppose them. This is known as social bias.

2.   Another possible explanation: are manipulated by external forces that have ulterior motives and agendas behind spreading or promoting health misinformation. These forces may include political actors, economic actors, ideological actors, or malicious actors. Political actors may use health misinformation to influence public opinion and behavior, to gain or maintain power and control, to undermine or attack their opponents, or to advance their interests and goals. Economic actors may use health misinformation to increase their profits and revenues, to reduce their costs and liabilities, to promote or protect their products and services, or to compete or sabotage their rivals. Ideological actors may use health misinformation to propagate their beliefs and values, to recruit or mobilize their followers, to justify or rationalize their actions, or to oppose or resist their enemies. Malicious actors may use health misinformation to cause harm or damage, to create chaos or confusion, to exploit or extort their victims, or to satisfy their curiosity or amusement.

 

Conclusion: 

To combat health misinformation effectively, we need to not only educate and empower people with accurate and trustworthy information, but also empathize and engage with people with different perspectives and backgrounds. We need to not only monitor and moderate online content with transparent and consistent policies and standards, but also expose and counter the hidden agendas and interests behind the sources and creators of health misinformation. We need to not only collaborate and coordinate with various stakeholders and sectors of society, but also challenge and confront the forces and factors that fuel and facilitate the spread and impact of health misinformation.

Health misinformation is a complex and multifaceted challenge that requires a comprehensive and coordinated response from all sectors of society. By working together, we can reduce the spread and impact of health misinformation and improve the health and well-being of ourselves and our communities.

 

 

WAIT!! Could there be an alternate ending? 

Congratulations. You’re one of only a few readers that have made it this far through the blog post.

Real talk: we are doomed. Health misinformation is too pervasive and powerful to be stopped by any means. We are living in a post-truth era where facts don't matter anymore.We are surrounded by lies and deception from all sides. We are addicted to our devices and platforms that feed us with endless streams of sensationalized and polarized content. We are divided and isolated from each other by our bubbles and echo chambers. We are too lazy and ignorant to think critically and independently. We are too emotional and irrational to listen objectively and respectfully. We are too selfish and arrogant to care about others and the common good. We are the victims of health misinformation, but we are also the perpetrators of health misinformation. We are the problem, but we are also the solution. We have the power to change ourselves and our society for the better or for the worse. The choice is ours.

What will you choose?

Sources: 

1. Goldwater Institute. (n.d.). Beware of the Government's Healthcare Truth Peddlers. Retrieved from https://www.goldwaterinstitute.org/beware-of-the-governments-healthcare-truth-peddlers/
2. WVTM 13. (n.d.). Americans Struggle with Health Misinformation. Retrieved from https://www.wvtm13.com/article/americans-struggle-with-health-misinformation/44874840
3. KFF Health News. (n.d.). Few Firm Beliefs, Low Trust: Health Misinformation KFF Poll. Retrieved from https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/few-firm-beliefs-low-trust-health-misinformation-kff-poll/
4. Patient Engagement HIT. (n.d.). Is the American Public Swayed by Medical Misinformation? Retrieved from https://patientengagementhit.com/news/is-the-american-public-swayed-by-medical-misinformation
5. CNBC. (2023, April 11). U.S. Life Expectancy Hurt by Misinformation: FDA Commissioner Robert Califf. Retrieved from https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/11/us-life-expectancy-hurt-by-misinformation-fda-commissioner-robert-califf.html
6. News-Medical.net. (2023, August 18). COVID-19 Misinformation Spread on Social Media by U.S. Physicians. Retrieved from https://www.news-medical.net/news/20230818/COVID-19-misinformation-spread-on-social-media-by-US-physicians.aspx
7. Healthcare IT News. (n.d.). HIMSSCast: Redesigning Care Around People Requires New Tech Stack and Culture. Retrieved from https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/himsscast-redesigning-care-around-people-requires-new-tech-stack-and-culture
8. American Hospital Association. (2023, May 30). Strategy to Tackle Public Health Misinformation. Retrieved from https://www.aha.org/news/healthcareinnovation-blog/2023-05-30-strategy-tackle-public-health-misinformation