Sex-based differences in seeking health information on social media
A recent survey indicated that young women may be more likely to rely on health and wellness information from social media influencers compared with men and older age groups.
Although healthcare professionals are the main source of health information, social media platforms continue to propagate potentially unreliable health and wellness information, according to a news report from Pew Research Center. In the new survey, investigators asked more than 10,000 men and women aged 18 years and older how they interact with health and wellness information from social media influencers and podcasters.
Among the respondents, women aged 18 to 29 years were 10 percentage points more likely to state they ever received health and wellness information from social media influencers compared with men of the same age (57% versus 47%, respectively). Women aged 30 years and older were also about 5 percentage points more likely to receive health and wellness information from social media compared with men 30 years and older.
In addition, women aged 18 to 29 years responded that they often encountered health and wellness information more commonly than men aged 18 years and older across six topics, including beauty or personal appearance (51% versus 18%), alternative medicine (21% versus 10%), mental health (43% versus 36%), dietary supplements or cleanses (30% versus 23%), weight loss (38% versus 34%), and mainstream medicine (17% versus 15%). However, men came across fitness information more frequently compared with women (57% versus 47%, respectively).
The investigators found that compared with young men, more young women who sought out health and wellness information on social media platforms indicated that they did so because they wanted to change their current health status or lifestyle, hear from like-minded individuals with similar backgrounds or beliefs, and explore topics about which they would not ask their healthcare providers.
Read more: Pew Research Center
The article presented here is intended to inform you about the broader media perspective on dentistry, regardless of its alignment with the ADA's stance. It is important to note that publication of an article does not imply the ADA's endorsement, agreement, or promotion of its content.