University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
JMIR Public Health Surveill. 2020 Oct 20;6(4):e18878. doi: 10.2196/18878.
The World Health Organization lists vaccine hesitancy as one of 10 threats to global health. The antivaccine movement uses Facebook to promote messages on the alleged dangers and consequences of vaccinating, leading to a reluctance to immunize against preventable communicable diseases.
We would like to know more about the messages these websites are sharing via social media that can influence readers and consumers. What messages is the public receiving on Facebook about immunization? What content (news articles, testimonials, videos, scientific studies) is being promoted?
We proposed using a social media audit tool and 3 categorical lists to capture information on websites and posts, respectively. The keywords "vaccine," "vaccine truth," and "anti-vax" were entered in the Facebook search bar. A Facebook page was examined if it had between 2500 and 150,000 likes. Data about beliefs, calls to action, and testimonials were recorded from posts and listed under the categories Myths, Truths, and Consequences. Website data were entered in a social media audit template.
Users' posts reflected fear and vaccine hesitancy resulting from the alleged dangers of immunization featured on the website links. Vaccines were blamed for afflictions such as autism, cancer, and infertility. Mothers shared testimonies on alleged consequences their children suffered due to immunization, which have influenced other parents to not vaccinate their children. Users denied the current measles outbreaks in the United States to be true, retaliating against the government in protests for fabricating news.
Some Facebook messages encourage prevailing myths about the safety and consequences of vaccines and likely contribute to parents' vaccine hesitancy. Deeply concerning is the mistrust social media has the potential to cast upon the relationship between health care providers and the public. A grasp of common misconceptions can help support health care provider practice.
世界卫生组织将疫苗犹豫列为全球 10 大健康威胁之一。反疫苗运动利用 Facebook 宣传有关接种疫苗的所谓危险和后果的信息，导致人们不愿意接种预防可传播疾病的疫苗。
我们想更多地了解这些网站通过社交媒体分享的信息，这些信息可能会影响读者和消费者。公众在 Facebook 上收到关于免疫接种的哪些信息？正在推广哪些内容（新闻文章、证词、视频、科学研究）？
我们建议使用社交媒体审核工具和 3 个分类列表分别捕获网站和帖子的信息。在 Facebook 搜索栏中输入了“疫苗”、“疫苗真相”和“反疫苗”等关键词。如果一个 Facebook 页面的点赞数在 2500 到 150000 之间，则对其进行检查。从帖子中记录有关信仰、行动呼吁和证词的数据，并将其列在“神话”、“真相”和“后果”类别下。将网站数据输入社交媒体审核模板。
用户的帖子反映了对免疫接种的所谓危险的恐惧和疫苗犹豫，这些危险出现在网站链接上。疫苗被归咎于自闭症、癌症和不孕等疾病。母亲们分享了据称他们的孩子因接种疫苗而遭受的后果的证词，这影响了其他父母不让他们的孩子接种疫苗。用户否认美国目前的麻疹爆发是真实的，他们在抗议活动中对政府进行报复，称政府编造了新闻。
一些 Facebook 消息助长了关于疫苗安全性和后果的普遍误解，并可能导致父母对疫苗犹豫不决。更令人担忧的是，社交媒体有可能对医疗保健提供者与公众之间的关系产生信任危机。了解常见的误解可以帮助支持医疗保健提供者的实践。
