Using the Health Belief Model to combat health misinformation
Channel: Research Shorts
Date: 2021-10-24

Misinformation is dangerous. It impacts public health on a daily basis and in many different ways. It can make people more hesitant to receive vaccines and push them towards false and dangerous alternatives. Misinformation can also reduce people’s trust in scientists and health officials. Governments rely on such trust to manage public health issues. 

How can public health communicators manage health misinformation? This video summarizes the arguments of a recent academic paper, in which the authors propose that public health communicators can use the health belief model to help people understand the risks associated with misinformation and to take preventative action against it. You can find the paper here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhip.2021.100151