In 2023, celebrity Kim Kardashian encouraged her more than 360 million followers to undergo a whole-body MRI scan. The incident underscored a growing concern about the dissemination of misleading health information by social media influencers.
A new study from the University of Sydney analyzed about 1,000 posts related to five controversial health tests promoted by influencers to an audience of nearly 200 million followers, revealing the dangers of health-related misinformation. The study found that around 85% of posts on Instagram and TikTok about medical tests provide misleading or potentially harmful false medical advice, which may lead to overdiagnosis and unnecessary treatments.
The study focused on five trendy but controversial medical screenings: full-body MRI scans, genetic testing for cancer, blood tests for testosterone levels, the AMH test for a woman's egg count, and gut microbiome assessment. Many influencers are sharing their experiences with these medical tests, claiming they are life-saving and can detect diseases in their early stages before symptoms appear, despite the lack of evidence that these expensive tests provide benefits to healthy individuals.
Researchers found that influencers frequently ignore mentioning the potential harms resulting from unnecessary diagnoses and inappropriate treatments. Only around 15% of the posts mentioned the possible risks of these tests, with less than 15% explicitly addressing health and psychological harms such as overdiagnosis or overtreatment.
According to Deutsche Welle, 68% of influencers had financial incentives to promote the tests. Payment for promotion can generate biased information, exaggerating benefits and minimizing risks, leading to increased demand for unnecessary tests. "The scientific evidence supporting the widespread use of these tests is limited, and the recommendations in the posts are often commercially motivated," reported Deutsche Welle.
Ray Moynihan, co-author of the study and a professor at Bond University, classified the scenario as a public health crisis that exacerbates overdiagnosis and threatens the sustainability of health systems. "Clearly, this new evidence of persuasive and misleading information across almost 1,000 posts demands responses to help curtail potential overdiagnosis and overuse," the authors wrote.
Overdiagnosis occurs when a disease is diagnosed correctly but the diagnosis is irrelevant, meaning the condition would have never caused any symptoms or problems, leading to unnecessary medical procedures and treatments.
Influencers tended to rely on anecdotal evidence or cherry-picked data to promote tests that may not be necessary or even beneficial, often evoking fear in misleading ways.
Many posts exaggerated the benefits of these medical tests without scientific evidence.
"Given that social media platforms like Instagram are moving away from fact-checking their content, the need for stronger regulation to prevent misleading medical information has gained urgency," said Josh Zadro, senior researcher and co-author from the University of Sydney.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.