The scale of health fake news

Activities

June 16, 2025

The scale of health fake news

Pre-requisites

Basic Public Health Principles, Introduction to Health Communication, Basic Psychology of Behavior Change

Explanation of activity

Discussion Questions

How does misinformation contribute to vaccine hesitancy and other health-related behaviors?
What are the potential consequences of delayed treatment due to misinformation?
How can healthcare professionals identify and address misinformation during patient interactions?
What strategies can be implemented at the community level to combat the spread of health misinformation?

Teacher materials

Core Concept – Understanding Medical Misinformation

Brief lecture or discussion covering:

Definition of Medical Misinformation.
False or misleading information related to health, which can be spread intentionally or unintentionally.
Explanation of Channels of Dissemination like Social media platforms, word-of-mouth, unreliable websites, etc.
Exposure to misinformation can lead to increased anxiety and fear, influencing health behaviors.

Relevant reading to understand the materials:

Disinformation, Misinformation, and Fake News in Social Media Emerging Research Challenges and Opportunities. Book© 2020 Overview. Editors: Kai Shu, Suhang Wang, Dongwon Lee, Huan Liu

Further reading to further develop the activity/understanding of the topic:

Health Communication: Research and Practice for a Diverse and Changing World Nancy Grant Harrington, Rachael A. Record

Student Materials

Suarez-Lledo V, Alvarez-Galvez J, Prevalence of Health Misinformation on Social Media: Systematic Review, J Med Internet Res 2021;23(1):e17187, URL: https://www.jmir.org/2021/1/e17187, DOI: 10.2196/17187
Przemyslaw M. Waszak, Wioleta Kasprzycka-Waszak, Alicja Kubanek, The spread of medical fake news in social media – The pilot quantitative study, Health Policy and Technology
Volume 7, Issue 2, June 2018, Pages 115-118, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hlpt.2018.03.002
Montazeri, A., Mohammadi, S., M.Hesari, P. et al. Exposure to the COVID-19 news on social media and consequent psychological distress and potential behavioral change. Sci Rep 13, 15224 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-42459-6
Sule S, DaCosta MC, DeCou E, Gilson C, Wallace K, Goff SL. Communication of COVID-19 Misinformation on Social Media by Physicians in the US. JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(8):e2328928. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.28928
Sylvia Xiaohua Chen, Frank Tian-fang Ye, Kai Lam Cheng, Jacky C K Ng, Ben C P Lam, Bryant P H Hui, Algae K Y Au, Wesley C H Wu, Danan Gu, Yi Zeng, Social media trust predicts lower COVID-19 vaccination rates and higher excess mortality over 2 years, PNAS Nexus, Volume 2, Issue 10, October 2023, pgad318, https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgad318

Assessing and Evaluation

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session, students should be able to:

Understand the prevalence and dissemination pathways of medical misinformation.
Recognize the psychological and behavioral impacts of health misinformation on individuals and communities
Analyze real-world cases where misinformation has led to adverse health outcomes.
Develop strategies to counteract misinformation in clinical practice.

Modulations

Alternatively: Students pair up to role-play a clinical scenario where one acts as the patient influenced by misinformation and the other as the healthcare provider addressing the concerns.

Objective: Practice empathetic communication skills to effectively dispel myths and provide evidence-based information.