"Sharing Is Caring Even When It's Wrong": The Factors Influencing Health Misinformation Sharing and Relational Correction Among Chinese Older Adults from a Cultural Perspective.

Abstract

It is known that older adults are more susceptible to misinformation, and older adults sharing health misinformation is a growing concern. This study explores the factors influencing health misinformation sharing and relational correction among Chinese older adults from a cultural perspective. Guided by the PEN-3 cultural model, we conducted focus groups and in-depth interviews with 79 participants in China to understand the cultural and contextual factors of misinformation sharing. We found that (a) older adults actively shared health misinformation influenced by negative factors such as values of familial ties, need for respect, reciprocity, and initiation of conversation; (b) existential factors such as fact-checking tendency; (c) positive factors such as fatal information avoidance, political identify, awareness of marketing targeting, and social responsibility. Additionally, we found that older adults tend to switch to a silent mode of relational correction for factors such as harmony and face. This research extends the model's applicability and provides localized insights for developing culturally sensitive health communication strategies to mitigate the spread of health misinformation.