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Don’t rely on social media -

First, it is important not to rely on information found on social media. Even if there is a link to an external website, it is important to consider who runs the site.

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Who runs the site? -

Reliable health information sources include global organizations such as the World Health Organization, government agencies, medical schools, and other professional or nonprofit organizations.

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What's the purpose of the site? -

Are you looking at a site strictly used to inform the public, or are they trying to sell a product or service? Is the site trying to promote the opinion of an individual or group of individuals?

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Who pays for the site? -

Is the site owned by a business? And if so, does that business sell any products related to the health information they write about? These are all red flags.

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Check who writes and reviews the information -

Try to find out more about the editorial board (are they health experts?) and the content review process.

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How old is the information and where does it come from? -

Check if the publications are up to date or reviewed recently, and if there are any links to external sources such as medical research papers.

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Use lateral reading -

Lateral reading is a tool that can help identify if the information is accurate. To do so, look for other sources online that confirm the information.

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Why we struggle to identify accurate, trustworthy health information -

There are a number of reasons why many of us end up consuming health misinformation. Let’s find out more about it and why it happens.

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US survey -

In 2024, Healthline and YouGov conducted a survey about consumer health, including where people get their health information from. Over 4,000 people from across the US participated.

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US survey -

Over 50% of participants reported they sourced health information from social media, with just over 30% saying they relied on friends, family members, and colleagues for health advice.

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US survey: health trends -

In fact, the survey found that 52% of Americans have tried a health trend, tool, or approach they found on social media. However, the majority of participants held a negative view of them.

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UK survey -

In the UK, a survey conducted by The Alan Turing Institute in 2024 found that a whopping 94% of participants have witnessed misinformation circulating on social media. This, of course, includes health information.

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Attitude roots -

Attitude roots are one of the reasons why we might fall for health misinformation, according to Dawn Holford, PhD, a research fellow in the School of Psychological Science at the University of Bristol, UK.

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Attitude roots -

“Attitude roots are part of our psychology, and they can be beliefs, worldviews, emotions — basically, they are motivational drivers of how we process information,” explains Holford.

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Attitude roots -

They are beliefs and ideas of the world we hold in our minds from a young age. These can manifest through anxiety about things we do not truly understand or somehow fear, such as an invasive medical exam or vaccines.

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Example -

Using vaccines as an example, Dr. Holford has identified 11 different attitude roots in one of his studies. “These include fears about adverse medical outcomes, religious concerns, or even a tendency to push back against being told to do things — a trait known as ‘reactance.'"

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When (mis)information aligns with our attitude root -

Dr. Holford explains how we can believe in misinformation more easily because of these attitude roots. “When (mis)information is given to us that aligns with our attitude root, we’re more likely to take it on board, as it fits with that underlying motivation. This is quite a common thing in general: People tend to seek out and interpret information in line with their existing patterns of thinking and inquiry.”

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Confirmation bias -

Anxiety about going to the doctor and/or undergoing a medical procedure can lead us to look for information that confirms our beliefs, regardless of whether the information is reliable or not. This search for support of one’s beliefs is known as confirmation bias.

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Attitude roots aren't inherently good or bad -

Dr. Holford explains that they “are simply our motivators, shaped by our life experiences and thinking patterns. It’s how they interact with the information environment that might lead to believing in misinformation.”

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Who is most susceptible to health misinformation? -

As mentioned previously, information that aligns with one’s ideology is the most dangerous one, because it might not be true. There are also certain psychological traits that may make the person more vulnerable to such information.

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Who is less susceptible to health misinformation? -

On the other hand, a person’s “willingness to consider different perspectives and evidence, known as ‘actively open-minded thinking’,” may be less susceptible to health misinformation, says Dr. Holford.

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Who is less susceptible to health misinformation? -

“We might be less susceptible to a disinformation narrative that plays into one’s love of all things natural if we don’t really care about that,” exemplified Dr. Holford.

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Skepticism of official sources -

Some people distrust health information from official sources. Some do so because of their experiences. For instance, some people may have suffered discrimination of some sort in receiving medical treatment based on their race or gender. 

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"Jiu-jitsu" interventions -

Dr. Holford as his colleagues have been working on a strategy to combat health misinformation that they call "jiu-jitsu" interventions. The basic idea is to try to “use misinformation against itself.”

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The origin of the name -

The name derives from the Brazilian martial art, where leverage is used to fight back, instead of attacking the opponent heads-on.

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How "jiu-jitsu" interventions work -

So, how does that look in practice? Dr. Holford explains: “our interventions look at what are the features of misinformation, what it is that makes it sticky, that makes people susceptible to it, and we use those to build people’s skills to defend themselves or others against misinformation.”

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Two types of "jiu-jitsu" interventions -

There are two types of such "jiu-jitsu" interventions. One is psychological inoculation against misinformation, and the other is empathetic refutation of misinformation.

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Psychological inoculation -

Psychological inoculation is about explaining to people how the tactics of misinformation work. By letting people experience small doses of it, they will understand how tricky the tactics used are, and being aware of this may help protect them.

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Empathetic refutation -

This is about showing empathy and considering people’s attitude roots. This will make them more open to accepting that the (mis)information is indeed wrong.

Sources: (Medical News Today) (Medline Plus) 

See also: How to raise kids to identify misinformation

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