The search for the missing link between health misinformation & health disparities.

Relative to the rapid increase in available health information, little has been published on the differential impact misinformation has on the health of communities. Observations during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic indicated there were communities that made decisions that negatively impacted health outcomes beyond expectations; we propose that health misinformation was a contributor to poor health outcomes. Health misinformation exposure varies across communities and preliminary research suggests that some communities are more vulnerable to the impact of health misinformation than others. However, few studies have evaluated the connection between health misinformation and healthcare disparities. In this paper, we (a) review the current literature on misinformation and its impact on health disparities, (b) expand on prior epidemiological models to explain the communal spread of misinformation and the link to disparate health outcomes, (c) identify gaps in knowledge about communal misinformation spread (d) review promising interventions to halt the adverse impact of misinformation.
Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: N.O reports research funding from grant T32HL069749. E.O receives research funding through her institution from Pfizer. H.B.B reports research funding through his institution from BeBetter Therapeutics, Boehringer Ingelheim, Esperion, Improved Patient Outcomes, Merck, NHLBI, Novo Nordisk, Otsuka, Sanofi, Veterans Administration, Elton John Foundation, Hilton foundation, Pfizer. He also provides consulting services for Esperion, Imatar, Novartis, Sanofi, Vidya, Walmart, Webmed, Janssen. He was also on the board of directors of Preventric Diagnostics.
(Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)