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Physical Activity Misinformation on Social Media: Systematic Review
D David Thomas1,2, Linglin Xu2,3, Brian Yu2
1Informatics Programs, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States.
JMIR Infodemiology
|October 8, 2025
Summary
Social media health misinformation is a growing problem, particularly concerning physical activity. This review synthesizes research on physical activity misinformation on social media, highlighting common topics and platforms.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Digital Health
- Health Communication
Background:
- Social media is a primary source of health information, but its credibility varies widely.
- Misinformation regarding vaccines, nutrition, and cancer is well-documented, yet physical activity misinformation remains understudied.
- This gap is significant given the high volume of online discussions about physical activity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and synthesize existing literature on physical activity misinformation disseminated via social media.
- To adhere to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines.
Main Methods:
- Conducted comprehensive keyword searches across PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Scopus databases (January 2016 - May 2025).
- Screened 9039 articles, with 168 selected for full-text review, and ultimately 33 meeting inclusion criteria for synthesis.
- Utilized PRISMA 2020 guidelines for systematic review methodology.
Main Results:
- The 33 studies covered diverse topics, including physical rehabilitation (45%), general physical activity (18%), and exercising with specific conditions (12%).
- YouTube (39%) and TikTok (21%) were the most studied platforms, with other content analyzed from sources shared widely online.
- Most studies (88%) analyzed existing content, with 82% reporting misinformation prevalence and 64% reporting reach metrics.
Conclusions:
- Research on social media physical activity misinformation is diverse, with YouTube being a key platform.
- Low-quality information is prevalent, and longitudinal studies are lacking.
- Multifaceted strategies, including improved messaging and institutional dissemination of high-quality information, are needed to combat misinformation.
Keywords:
AIartificial intelligencedigital healthexercisehealth misinformationkinesiologyonline contentonline misinformationphysical activitysocial mediasystematic reviewMore Related Videos
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