Addressing Misinformation: A More Nuanced Understanding for Public Health Professionals

• Published in: American journal of public health (1971) Vol. 114; no. 7; pp. 679 - e3
• Main Authors: Wykoff, Randy, Harker, David, Loveday, Leah
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Public Health Association 01-07-2024
• Subjects: 20th century; Autism; Children; Cigarettes; Communication; Conspiracy; COVID-19 vaccines; False information; Humans; Immunization; Lung cancer; Medical personnel; Professionals; Public Health; Smoking; Tobacco; Tobacco industry
• ISSN: 0090-0036; 1541-0048; 1541-0048
• DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2024.307690

The concept of misinformation is understandably receiving a great deal of attention. Recent calls from the US Surgeon General,1 the World Health Organization,2 and the American Medical Association,3 among many others, have all emphasized the importance of health professionals recognizing and speaking out in the face of health misinformation. The urgency has arisen, at least in part, from the extensive amount of misinformation that has spread relating to COVID-194 and the risks of childhood vaccines,5 but similar problems can be traced back to the tobacco industry's efforts during the second half of the 20th century to sow doubt about the connection between cigarettes and lung cancer6,7 and, certainly, well beyond that. The increased amount of misinformation and the growing awareness of its impact on the public's health have led to calls for public health workers and other health professionals to respond to, counter, or correct misinformation to the greatest extent possible.8For health professionals to effectively address misinformation, however, they need to start with an understanding that there are several different ways by which members of the public can be misled, each potentially requiring a different approach on the part of the health professional.