Health news about medical and health policy issues affecting patients and practitioners. Articles may address topics including fentanyl, miscarriage, Covid-19, genetic testing, gender-affirming care, and obesity.
A substantial amount of health news shared on social media contains misleading or outright false information, according to a new study. Scientists at Health Feedback examined the 100 most-shared health articles of 2018. They rated each one on a scale from +2 (very high credibility) to -2 (low credibility). They found that stories with low credibility scores received more shares than those with high or neutral ratings.
The scientists attributed this to sensationalized headlines that grab reader attention, rather than balanced, accurate stories. In addition, the science behind a story often isn’t explained in the article itself. (Rina Raphael, Fast Company, 2/4; HealthFeedback methodology, accessed 2/6).
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