Social Media and the Influence of Fake News on Global Health Interventions: Implications for a Study on Dengue in Brazil

Social media usage is growing globally, with an exponential increase in low- and middle-income countries. Social media changes the ways in which information-sharing occurs, intensifying the population's exposure to misinformation, including fake news. This has important repercussions for global...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of environmental research and public health 2023-03, Vol.20 (7), p.5299
Main Authors: Gagnon-Dufresne, Marie-Catherine, Azevedo Dantas, Mayana, Abreu Silva, Kellyanne, Souza Dos Anjos, Jean, Pessoa Carneiro Barbosa, Delano, Porto Rosa, Rebeca, de Luca, William, Zahreddine, Monica, Caprara, Andrea, Ridde, Valéry, Zinszer, Kate
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aggression
Bolsonaro, Jair
Brazil - epidemiology
Child
COVID-19
COVID-19 - epidemiology
Data collection
Dengue
Dengue - epidemiology
Digital media
Disinformation
False information
Global Health
Humans
Life Sciences
Pandemics
Politics
Project Report
Public health
Santé publique et épidémiologie
Social Media
Social networks
Vector-borne diseases
World health
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Summary:Social media usage is growing globally, with an exponential increase in low- and middle-income countries. Social media changes the ways in which information-sharing occurs, intensifying the population's exposure to misinformation, including fake news. This has important repercussions for global health. The spread of fake news can undermine the implementation of evidence-based interventions and weaken the credibility of scientific expertise. This is particularly worrisome in countries, such as Brazil, in a sociopolitical context characterized by a lack of popular trust in public institutions. In this project report, we describe our experience with the spread of fake news through the social media platform WhatsApp during the implementation of a cluster randomized controlled trial aimed at reducing dengue incidence in children in Fortaleza (Brazil). During initial visits to selected clusters, the research team was met with resistance. Then, soon after data collection started, fake news began circulating about the study. As a result, the research team developed strategies to dispel suspicion and further promote the study. However, the climate of violence and mistrust, coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic, forced the interruption of the study in 2019. The lessons learned from our experience in Fortaleza can be useful to other researchers and practitioners implementing large-scale interventions in this era of health-related misinformation.
ISSN:1660-4601
1661-7827
1660-4601
DOI:10.3390/ijerph20075299