Most US adults who use social media may engage with health-related content, and more than one-fifth of them could make health-related decisions based on the information they encounter on the platforms, despite widespread distrust of its accuracy.

Investigators analyzed data from the 2024 Health Information National Trends Survey, a nationally representative survey of 7,278 respondents representing approximately 262 million US adults. Social media use was defined as use of a social networking site during the preceding 12 months. The investigators compared health-related social media engagement among participants with and without self-reported chronic conditions, including cardiometabolic diseases, respiratory diseases, mental health conditions, and cancer. They evaluated behaviors and attitudes related to health information, including sharing personal or general health information, participating in online communities, making health-related decision-making based on social media content, and perceiving i misinformation using survey-weighted analyses.

Overall, about 88% of the respondents reported using social media. Among users, 22% reported making health-related decisions based on the information they encountered on social media, even though 78% of them believed health-related information on the platforms to be false or misleading. Most users also reported sharing personal or general health information (85%) and participating in online communities (70%).

Among the respondents with chronic conditions, 86% reported using social media. These users were less likely than those without chronic conditions to share health-related information or participate in online communities. However, the likelihood of making health-related decisions based on social media content between those with and without chronic diseases was comparable.

Subgroup analyses showed that older adults and Hispanic social media users were more likely to report making health-related decisions based on the information obtained through social media. In contrast, higher educational attainment and higher household income were associated with greater distrust iin health information on social media. Black and Hispanic participants were less likely compared with White participants to report distrusting health-related information.

The investigators noted that social media has become a major source of health information, yet confidence in the accuracy of that information remains limited. The findings suggested that exposure to health-related information on social media may influence behavior even when users question its reliability.

The study was limited by its reliance on self-reported survey data, which may be subject to recall and social desirability bias. The investigators did not assess the content, accuracy, or source of health information encountered on social media, and the rapidly evolving social media environment may affect patterns of engagement over time.

"Social media is a key component of the health information environment for US adults with and without chronic conditions, highlighting the need for approaches to enhance the accuracy of health content and counter artificial intelligence–amplified misinformation," wrote lead study author Aline F. Pedroso, PhD, of the Section of Cardiovascular Medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine at the Yale School of Medicine, and colleagues.

Full disclosures of the study authors can be found in the study.

Source: JAMA