Alfaris Eiad, Alhazzani Yasser, Alkhenizan Abdullah, Irfan Farhana, Almoneef Naif, Alyousefi Nada, Alfaris Huda, Alodhaibi Khitam, Ahmed Abdullah M A
Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University Chair for Medical Education Research and Development, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Family Medicine and Polyclinics, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Patient Prefer Adherence. 2023 Jan 6;17:67-73. doi: 10.2147/PPA.S397661. eCollection 2023.
WhatsApp is the most frequently used social media platform in Saudi Arabia. Inaccurate information could negatively impact public health. The number of studies worldwide investigating health-related misinformation in social media increased steadily, with limited data from Arabic-speaking communities. This study aimed to estimate the validity and safety of Arabic-language health information messages circulated on WhatsApp and identify the different categories of these messages based on their credibility.
A descriptive, analytical cross-sectional study was conducted from February to April 2021. A total of 374 students were randomly selected from the common first preparatory year college at King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and participated by sharing up to three health-related WhatsApp messages per student that they or their relatives had recently read. Four board-certified physicians reviewed and classified the messages based on their credibility and sources.
282 students provided 326 messages (1.2 messages per student). Most messages (86%) had either invalid or inaccurate content, and 83.7% came from unknown sources. Only 26 messages (8%) of the total were written by trusted scientific sources. Most of the messages from unknown sources or unqualified persons were either invalid or invalid, with potential health risks for the public, and the difference from trusted sources was statistically significant.
This study showed a high percentage of inaccurate and invalid health-related messages on WhatsApp. Invalid messages with potential health risks were authored mostly by unknown sources or unqualified persons. Most health messages written by trusted authorities and qualified persons were valid. Trusted scientific authorities should thus be more active in public education on social media platforms. They should advise their communities on how to discern the validity of such messages. More efforts are needed to guide patients from where to obtain accurate and valid health information.
WhatsApp是沙特阿拉伯使用最频繁的社交媒体平台。不准确的信息可能会对公众健康产生负面影响。全球范围内调查社交媒体中与健康相关的错误信息的研究数量稳步增加，但来自阿拉伯语社区的数据有限。本研究旨在评估在WhatsApp上传播的阿拉伯语健康信息的有效性和安全性，并根据其可信度确定这些信息的不同类别。
2021年2月至4月进行了一项描述性、分析性横断面研究。从沙特阿拉伯利雅得国王沙特大学普通预科一年级随机抽取374名学生，每位学生分享他们或其亲属最近阅读的最多三条与健康相关的WhatsApp信息。四名获得董事会认证的医生根据信息的可信度和来源对其进行审查和分类。
282名学生提供了326条信息（每位学生1.2条）。大多数信息（86%）内容无效或不准确，83.7%来自未知来源。总数中只有26条信息（8%）是由可靠的科学来源撰写的。大多数来自未知来源或不合格人员的信息要么无效要么不成立，对公众有潜在健康风险，与可靠来源的差异具有统计学意义。
本研究表明WhatsApp上与健康相关的信息不准确和无效的比例很高。带有潜在健康风险的无效信息大多由未知来源或不合格人员撰写。由可靠权威和合格人员撰写的大多数健康信息是有效的。因此，可靠科学权威应在社交媒体平台上的公众教育中更加积极。他们应就如何辨别此类信息的有效性向其社区提供建议。需要做出更多努力，指导患者从何处获取准确有效的健康信息。
