Online Interventions Addressing Health Misinformation: Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Communication
• Digital Health

Background:

• Health misinformation poses significant public health risks by influencing behavior and decision-making.
• Online platforms and social media amplify health misinformation, increasing the need for effective interventions.
• Theoretical frameworks are crucial for developing interventions that address both misinformation features and user susceptibility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review online interventions designed to mitigate the adverse public health impacts of health misinformation.
• To explore intervention types, target demographics, and the characteristics of misinformation and human susceptibility addressed.
• To identify theoretical underpinnings and existing gaps in the literature on health misinformation interventions.

Main Methods:

• Systematic scoping review adhering to PRISMA-ScR guidelines.
• Searched five databases (2018-2024) using MeSH and keywords.
• Included 30 studies after screening for data extraction on interventions, targets, and theoretical frameworks.

Main Results:

• Most interventions (63%) focused on COVID-19 misinformation, utilizing educational courses (73%) and counter-speech (23%).
• Interventions targeted misinformation characteristics (53%) and human susceptibility factors (47%), including cognitive, emotional, and social dynamics.
• Theoretical underpinnings guided 77% of interventions, covering areas like inoculation, education, motivation, and behavior.

Conclusions:

• Online health misinformation interventions often employ similar strategies like educational courses and counter-speech.
• Gaps exist in tailoring interventions to specific misinformation tactics and understanding susceptibility, particularly in vulnerable groups.
• Enhanced reporting and stronger links between theory and intervention design are needed, alongside interdisciplinary collaboration.