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Breast Cancer Prevention and Treatment: Misinformation on Pinterest, 2018
1Tamar Wilner is with the School of Journalism and Media and the Center for Media Engagement, Moody College of Communication, University of Texas at Austin. Avery Holton is with the Department of Communication, University of Utah, Salt Lake City.
Pinterest is a significant source of breast cancer misinformation. Over 11% of analyzed posts contained false prevention or treatment claims, highlighting a public health concern.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Public Health
- Social Media Analysis
Background:
- Pinterest is a popular platform for women's health information.
- Breast cancer information is widely shared on social media.
- Misinformation can impact health decisions and outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify and describe the incidence of breast cancer misinformation on Pinterest.
- To analyze the nature of health claims made in breast cancer-related Pinterest posts.
Main Methods:
- A hand-coded content analysis was performed on 797 Pinterest posts.
- Posts mentioning "breast cancer" or "breast" and "cancer" were collected in November 2018.
- Factual claims regarding prevention or treatment were identified and assessed for accuracy.
Main Results:
- 178 out of 797 posts (22.3%) made factual claims about breast cancer prevention or treatment.
- 91 of these posts (51.1%) contained misinformation.
- Overall, 11.4% of the analyzed Pinterest posts contained breast cancer misinformation.
Conclusions:
- Pinterest serves as a significant channel for the spread of breast cancer misinformation.
- The platform's visual nature and predominantly female user base amplify this issue.
- Health practitioners must address circulating myths and promote evidence-based guidance.
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