How To Avoid Health Misinformation So You Can Make Informed Choices

15 Nov 2024, by Lydia Kah-Pavlou, min. read

This article is a sponsored post in partnership with New Scientist.

There’s nothing worse than scrolling through social media and seeing a scary-looking post shared by friends about a new health issue that could potentially impact you— and it’s even scarier when it’s actually not true.

Unfortunately, health misinformation can spread really quickly online and many people are quick to buy into conspiracy theories or rumours without checking the facts.

If you’re worried about health misinformation or have health anxiety and want to make sure you’re always getting accurate information, we’ve got it covered.

We’ve put together a list of easy ways to avoid health misinformation to help you make more informed choices, so you can always feel at ease and in the loop when it comes to health news on social media.

1. Always use reliable publications to get your health news

Have you ever been enjoying a late-night snack and wondered about the health benefits of snacking? Or perhaps you want to know about the impact of hormonal birth control on the brain, or how electric skin patches could stop infections from spreading.

You can find all of this and other interesting topics that you might not have even thought about from New Scientist and know that you’re getting reliable health information and trusted journalism. Plus, when you have a subscription, you can get unlimited access to the website and app across all devices so you can keep up with the latest health news in between lectures, on the bus or even in the gym.

For a limited time, students can get a 1-month trial for just £2 and then pay just £49 a year at a fixed price for the next 3 years— which is a great deal.

Here are some interesting health articles we recommend checking out once you’ve signed up:

2. Check the source

We love social media, but the reality is it’s very easy to lie online which is how conspiracy theories start and health misinformation quickly spreads.

Anyone can publish an article and unless it’s quoting a valid source it’s probably not worth paying attention to. However, if information is coming straight from the WHO (World Health Organisation) the NHS, or a medical journal you know it will be credible.

The good news is that every article you read from New Scientist will clearly reference its sources and will always give you facts— not fiction. You’ll be able to see the journals and publications where the source material came from so you can be comfortable knowing that you’re reading accurate and reliable information.

Alright, we’re all guilty of seeing a post on Instagram or Facebook and hitting share or believing it as a fact sometimes, especially if a lot of friends or family have liked or shared it around.

Often health misinformation is phrased in a way that makes it look believable or might come in an infographic or image that makes it easy to share around. However, the reality is you can’t trust Instagram or Facebook pages and you don’t really know who is running the page or where they’re getting that info from— even if it looks legit.

If you do see something that you think is interesting or worries you, double-check first before spreading it around with your friends and family as this could trigger their health anxiety over something that’s actually not true.

It’s always worth double-checking before sharing something online and with a New Scientist subscription, you’ll get 24/7 unlimited access to the app and website, so you can feel more confident before you hit the share button.

4. Get your information in digestible formats

When it comes to health misinformation a lot of publications rely on scare tactics or stuffing articles with jargon the average person might not understand to make something look a lot worse or scarier than it actually is.

If you struggle with understanding more complex topics or occasionally switch off when reading long articles there are lots of other ways you can engage with health news and *actually* understand what’s going on.

Signing up for New Scientist’s weekly newsletter is a great place to start for concise, easily digestible news sent straight to your inbox. The podcast is also a different way to learn something new if you struggle to concentrate while reading and it covers everything from space to science pop culture (and it’s free to listen to!)

Podcasts are also a great way to consume information while you’re multitasking, so if you’re commuting to uni or at the gym you can stay up to date with the latest interesting health or science topics at the same time.

We recommend listening to these weekly episodes if you’re looking for a place to start:

Hopefully, with these tips, you can start to make more informed choices and feel more confident in where you’re getting your news from. Don’t forget to take advantage of New Scientist’s limited deal and get your first month for £2 now!

This article is a sponsored post in partnership with New Scientist.