Factors Associated with Cancer Message Believability: a Mixed Methods Study on Simulated Facebook Posts

Area of Science:

• Health Communication
• Social Media Health Information
• Health Literacy Assessment

Background:

• Social media (SM) presents challenges in evaluating health information due to widespread misinformation.
• Message characteristics (format, veracity) and user health literacy influence believability assessments.
• Assessing health messages on SM requires critical evaluation skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine how message features and social media users' health literacy predict message believability.
• To investigate the relationship between health literacy, message features, and time spent viewing simulated Facebook messages.
• To understand the role of health literacy in navigating online health information.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods experimental study involving 53 social media users.
• Utilized eye-tracking technology to measure time spent viewing messages.
• Assessed individual health literacy, message format (narrative/non-narrative), and information veracity (evidence-based/non-evidence-based).

Main Results:

• Individuals with adequate health literacy rated evidence-based messages as more believable than non-evidence-based ones.
• Limited health literacy was associated with spending more time examining the message source.
• Health literacy significantly impacts the evaluation of health messages on social media.

Conclusions:

• Public health initiatives must address myths and misinformation prevalent on social media.
• The source of health information on SM is a critical factor in message evaluation.
• Strategies are needed to guide individuals, especially those with limited health literacy, toward reliable sources and away from misinformation.