Debunking health myths on the internet: the persuasive effect of (visual) online communication.

ABSTRACT:

Aim

Developing evidence-based recommendations on how to debunk health-related misinformation and more specific health myths in (online) communication is important for individual health and the society. The present study investigated the effects of debunking/correction texts created according to the latest research findings with regard to four different health myths on recipients' belief, behaviour and feelings regarding the myths. Further, the study investigated the effects of different visualisations (machine-technical created image, diagram, image of an expert, message without an image) in the debunking texts.

Subject and methods

A representative sample of German Internet users (N = 700) participated in an anonymous online survey experiment with a 4 (myths) × 4 (pic

SUBMITTER: Kessler SH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8766354 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature