When it comes to your health, having accurate information you can trust is critical.
Many of us use social media and online platforms for health guidance, such as to search for weight loss information, to self-diagnose a new symptom or to learn more about a certain health condition. No matter what you’re looking for, you’re sure to find a lot of information, but some of it may be false or misleading.
The growing number of places we turn to for information has made it easy for misinformation to spread quickly and easily. When it comes to your health, having accurate information you can trust is critical.
Learn more about health misinformation and what you can do to spot it.
What Is Health Misinformation?
Misinformation is information that is false, inaccurate or misleading according to the best available evidence at the time. When it comes to your health, the misinformation might be about diseases, illnesses, potential cures, vaccines, diets, exercise routines, cosmetic procedures, supplements and more.
Health misinformation differs from other forms of inaccurate content, such as political misinformation, because the information may be harmful to your health.
How Can Misinformation Become Harmful?
Using social media and the internet can be great ways to learn new things, find resources and get support from people experiencing similar health concerns. But when we don’t question what we see or hear, it can have harmful effects, especially if that information relates to our health and wellness. For example, a popular trend on social media suggested people should consume borax with their morning coffee to help with joint pain and inflammation. Not only is there no proof this works, but borax is a chemical that shouldn’t be ingested and can be extremely harmful to your health.
Why Does Misinformation Spread?
According to the American Psychological Association, people tend to share and engage more with false or low-quality information they encounter online, compared with factual information, but why is this? There are a number of factors, including:
- It’s designed that way. Misinformation is supposed to be engaging and often has an emotional pull to get you to click, read and share.
- You’re more likely to accept a conclusion when it’s desirable. For example, a promise of easy weight loss sounds great, so why wouldn’t we want to believe it?
- Because of how social media platforms are designed, we are often exposed to the same misinformation over and over which reinforces our attachment to it.
- Misinformation fills a void when science is still working out the answers.
- Some people have a longstanding mistrust of health care systems because of historical mistreatment, racism and more.
- Some people benefit from spreading it, like those selling a product or a service, and others genuinely believe they are sharing information other people may need or want.
How Can I Verify Health Information? 
When we have access to so much information at all hours of the day, it can be overwhelming to sort through what’s accurate and what isn’t. Just knowing that misinformation is widespread is a good place to start. From there, you can begin to ask questions and consider the information you consume. Here are some tips you can use based on this guided research worksheet:
- Check the source. If it’s a video, ask yourself: What does this person have to gain by sharing this? Do they have a medical background you can verify? If it’s an article, look at the site. Is there an “About Us” page you can read? Can you google the site name to learn more about it?
- Get familiar with common misinformation tactics. A lot of misinformation contains the same tactics to attract readers and viewers:
- Often uses exaggerated language such as “fast results,” “miracle cure,” “shocking new research,” etc.
- Often claims “experts” and “research” support their claims, but don’t provide any details or sources
- Often uses one person’s experience in the place of medical data or studies
- Often use catchy headlines, sometimes with all capital letters or exclamation points
- Check the information against other sources you trust. Ask your health care provider about the information you’ve encountered. Or type the information into your search engine and see whether it’s been verified elsewhere. Try to find a site that you can trust, such as a local health department or a reputable news organization sharing similar information.
- Analyze the graphics. Look closely at the material. Many false news sites mimic authentic news sources, but there will be additional letters in the URL or misspelled words or grammatical errors throughout the piece.
- Consider your own beliefs. Oftentimes our social media feeds and internet search results are full of information that reflects our own beliefs and ideas, rather than purely factual information. When you find yourself ready to believe a story or video, consider how your own beliefs may be influencing your judgment.
- Don’t post or share if you aren’t sure. Many of us post or share misinformation without realizing it. Take a moment to verify information before you share it.
Helpful Resources
- The National Library of Medicine offers a tutorial to help us learn how to evaluate internet health information.
- Snopes is an independent fact-checking site you can use to navigate what you’re reading online, from topics on health, politics, lifestyle and more.
Do your part to stop the spread of misinformation and protect your health and wellness!