To keep health as a unifying force, we must put resources into tackling health misinformation and disinformation

• Published in: The Lancet (British edition) 2024-11, Vol.404 (10465), p.1792-1794
• Main Authors: Bagenal, Jessamy, Crucefix, Sian, Wilson, Chloe, Dehnel, Tim, Thomas, Hugh, Nauleau, Pierre, Lenahan, Claire, Hofer, Ursula
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Chronic fatigue syndrome; Community; False information; Gun violence; Life expectancy; Life span; Medical research; Public health; Social networks; Stalling; Vaccines; Womens health
• ISSN: 0140-6736; 1474-547X; 1474-547X
• DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(24)02245-1

In her book, Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World,4 Naomi Klein argues that this phenomenon is more potent now because of the rising numbers of people who feel left behind and abandoned from decades of free market economics that have prioritised profits over the wellbeing of individuals. [...]the rise of social media has coincided with stalling life expectancy in many high-income countries, which has perhaps made some people question the value of historically accepted public health systems.6,7 Second, and in conjunction with stalling life expectancy, mainstream medicine has struggled to tackle multimorbidity and non-communicable diseases that require long-term management.7 The lack of curative options for many of these diseases and inflated pharmaceutical prices have deepened a sense of futility and uncertainty over scientific progress in these areas. [...]the ongoing legacy of an often racist, misogynist, and exclusionary history in medical research and practice has culminated in mistrust in the medical establishment among some populations.8 This combination has motivated many patients to seek care and information from alternative sources.