Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, College of Medicine & Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, P.O. Box 22979, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain.
Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar.
J Public Health Policy. 2018 Aug;39(3):343-357. doi: 10.1057/s41271-018-0131-2.
Dissemination of misleading drug information through social media can be detrimental to the health of the public. This study, carried out in Bahrain, evaluated the truthfulness of 22 social media claims about drugs (72.7%), dietary supplements (22.7%), and toxic bisphenol-A (4.5%). They circulated on WhatsApp platform, as case studies. We categorized claims as objectively true, false, or potentially misleading. The content analysis revealed that "potentially misleading" claims were the most frequent messages (59.1%). They tend to exaggerate the efficacy or safety without sufficient evidence to substantiate claims. False claims (27.3%) were likely due to unfair competition or deception. Overall, 13.6% of the messages were objectively true claims that could withstand regulatory scrutiny. Majority of the drug-related messages on social media were potentially misleading or false claims that lacked credible evidence to support them. In the public interest, regulatory authorities should monitor such information disseminated via social media platforms.
通过社交媒体传播误导性药物信息可能会危害公众健康。这项在巴林开展的研究评估了 22 条关于药物(72.7%)、膳食补充剂(22.7%)和有毒双酚-A(4.5%)的社交媒体说法的真实性,它们在 WhatsApp 平台上作为案例研究传播。我们将说法归类为客观真实、虚假或可能具有误导性。内容分析显示,“可能具有误导性”的说法是最常见的信息(59.1%)。它们往往夸大疗效或安全性,而没有足够的证据来证实这些说法。虚假说法(27.3%)可能是由于不公平竞争或欺骗。总的来说,13.6%的信息是客观真实的说法,能够经受住监管审查。社交媒体上的大多数与药物相关的信息是可能具有误导性或虚假的说法,缺乏可信的证据来支持它们。为了公众利益,监管机构应该监测通过社交媒体平台传播的此类信息。