Health Misinformation on Social Media and Its Effects on Health Decisions: A Structured Narrative Review and Public Health Implications
Keywords:
health literacy, health communication, misinformation, social media, decision making, public healthAbstract
Background: Social media are a common source of health information, but they also facilitate the spread of false, misleading, or decontextualized content. Health misinformation can alter risk perception, weaken trust, and affect decisions such as vaccination, healthcare seeking, or adherence to recommendations.
Objective: To critically synthesize recent evidence on the effects of health misinformation disseminated through social media on beliefs, trust, sharing intentions, and health decisions, and to identify communication strategies to mitigate its impact.
Methods: A structured narrative review was conducted. The search, updated through August 29, 2026, prioritized PubMed and indexed scientific sources, supplemented by reference tracking and international documents. Experimental and observational studies and campaign evaluations addressing misinformation exposure, credibility, trust, sharing behavior, behavioral intentions, and corrective interventions were selected. A thematic synthesis and qualitative critical appraisal were performed.
Results: Fourteen primary studies published between 2020 and 2026 were included. Exposure or greater susceptibility to misinformation was associated with greater acceptance of false claims and, in several studies, with lower adherence to recommendations or vaccination intention. Refutations, accuracy reminders, warning labels, balanced social cues, and prebunking showed favorable effects, which were more consistent for beliefs and sharing decisions than for sustained health behaviors.
Conclusions: Health misinformation is an important informational determinant of public health. Effective responses require fact-checking, social listening, media literacy, audience segmentation, cultural adaptation, and campaign evaluation.
References
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Data Availability Statement
The extraction matrix, search strategies, and selection decisions are available for access and reviewupon request to the corresponding author: sgabypared@gmail.com
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Copyright (c) 2026 Camila Anahi Paredes Benítez (Autor/a)
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