Journal of Health Communication最新文献

{"title":"Cancer in the News: An Investigation into Misinformation in Cancer Reporting via South African Online News Media.","authors":"L Rademan, M Joubert","doi":"10.1080/10810730.2026.2713984","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2026.2713984","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide. With increasing reliance on online media for health information, the proliferation of cancer-related misinformation poses a significant threat to informed health decisions. Therefore, this study investigated the presence of misinformation in cancer reporting via South African online news media.A content analysis was conducted on 431 cancer-related articles published between 2013 and 2022 across the eight most popular South African online news sites. The findings provide insight into how misinformation manifests in online cancer reporting. While most articles adhered to generally high journalistic standards, exaggerated claims about miracle cures, herbal remedies, and alternative treatments were common and often poorly substantiated. Encouragingly, many articles also actively challenged false claims, highlighting the media's potential role in promoting evidence-based health communication.This study provides one of the first empirical baselines for understanding cancer-related misinformation in South African online news media. It underscores the need to uphold high standards of journalistic integrity and accuracy in health reporting, while highlighting the crucial role of healthcare professionals, researchers, and institutions in supporting evidence-based coverage. The findings further emphasize the importance of continuous monitoring and improvement of media practices, as well as addressing systemic barriers that limit meaningful engagement between researchers and the media in efforts to counter misinformation.</p>","PeriodicalId":16026,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Health Communication","volume":" ","pages":"1-14"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148678844","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Extreme Heat in the Age of Generative AI: Assessing the Accuracy, Accessibility, Equity, and Inclusion of Theory for Public Health Communication.","authors":"M MacKay, S Gosselin, K Sonier, J Wong, S Zamani, F Zarrinkalam, J E McWhirter","doi":"10.1080/10810730.2026.2709807","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2026.2709807","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Extreme heat, driven by climate change, poses significant health risks, particularly for vulnerable populations such as older adults, infants, and individuals with chronic illnesses. Generative AI may help tailor and scale climate adaptation messages, including for extreme heat, to better support those at risk. This research aims to assess the ability of ChatGPT 4o and DALL-E-3 to create accurate, tailored, theory-based public health text- and image-based messages about extreme heat in Canada. The objectives of this research include: 1) to engineer prompts to develop text- and image-based generative AI outputs about extreme heat, 2) to evaluate the outputs, and 3) to explore the ability of generative AI to tailor outputs further using theory and best practices. A variety of prompts were developed and tested to evaluate ChatGPT 4o and DALL-E 3's ability to generate health messages. 31 generated text and 17 image outputs were evaluated for accuracy, literacy, bias, and alignment with health communication models/frameworks to evaluate their effectiveness in addressing the needs of heat-vulnerable populations. While most text outputs were accurate, none met the target of a grade 8 reading level. Messages often included direct heat impacts and protective actions, but fewer framed heat within climate change. Image outputs were generally accurate but lacked diversity, and two images reinforced stigma. These findings highlight both the potential and the limitations of generative AI in health communication, emphasizing the need for careful oversight to ensure accuracy, accessibility, and inclusivity.</p>","PeriodicalId":16026,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Health Communication","volume":" ","pages":"1-13"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148673779","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Persuasive Cost of Mental Health Message Fatigue.","authors":"Alice Ji, Veranika Paltaratskaya, Kevin Wise","doi":"10.1080/10810730.2026.2712999","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2026.2712999","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mental health messaging is designed to promote well-being, reduce stigma, and encourage help-seeking. Repeated exposure to such messaging, however, can lead to message fatigue, a motivational state that undermines attention and elaboration even when messages remain memorable. We present two studies that explore how message fatigue affects attention, elaboration, and perceived effectiveness of mental health messages among college students. In Study 1, a demographically representative sample of 218 US college students viewed a series of mental health infographics. Self-reported elaboration, message evaluation, and memory was assessed following exposure. In study 2, 70 participants pre-screened for high and low levels of message fatigue completed an eye-tracking laboratory experiment focusing on visual attention during exposure. Across both studies, message fatigue significantly reduced elaboration which, in turn, predicted lower message effectiveness. Further analysis showed that diminished elaboration mediated the effect of message fatigue on perceived message effectiveness. Eye-tracking data showed that high fatigue participants exhibited shorter fixation durations than low fatigue participants across all design elements (e.g. image, text, graph), indicating reduced visual attention. Findings highlight how mental health campaigns can lose persuasive force through reduced elaboration and attention, informing creative and media strategies for managing message fatigue.</p>","PeriodicalId":16026,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Health Communication","volume":" ","pages":"1-11"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148673801","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Affordable Health Advice: Rethinking Credibility in Digital Health Communication.","authors":"Noha Atef","doi":"10.1080/10810730.2026.2713706","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2026.2713706","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This Global Forum article proposes \"affordable health advice\" as a complementary lens for understanding credibility and livability in digital health communication. Drawing on my previous research on Egyptian physician vloggers and using a recent Egyptian digital health controversy as an illustrative thread, the article argues that audiences do not evaluate health advice only through scientific validity, source expertise, trust, or health literacy. They may also assess whether advice appears possible to live with. The article identifies three dimensions of affordability: economic, cultural, and emotional. Economic affordability concerns whether advice appears financially attainable and sustainable in contexts where treatment, medication, testing, food, and long-term disease management impose substantial costs. Cultural affordability concerns whether advice speaks from within people's everyday language, food practices, religious rhythms, humor, and classed realities. Emotional affordability concerns whether advice reduces the psychological burden of illness by promising hope, autonomy, and relief from chronic-patient identity. The article argues that health advice may gain credibility when it appears more compatible with lived realities than conventional recommendations, even when that advice is scientifically contested.</p>","PeriodicalId":16026,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Health Communication","volume":" ","pages":"1-4"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148673850","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Health Literacy in Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine Users: A Systematic Review.","authors":"Chanelle Mastronardo, Jon Adams, Vicky Ward, Amie Steel","doi":"10.1080/10810730.2026.2708902","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2026.2708902","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Traditional, complementary and integrative medicine (TCIM) use is widespread, particularly among individuals with chronic health conditions who are drawn to TCIM's holistic approach. This approach frequently involves educating users on lifestyle factors that may detrimentally impact their health outcomes. Consequently, the TCIM workforce holds much potential to facilitate public health promotion and education. However, little is known about the current healths literacy (HL) of TCIM users - a gap requiring focus to optimize the role of TCIM in preventive health efforts. This review aims to determine the level of HL reported by TCIM users and identify relationships between HL and TCIM use. A systematic literature search for eligible studies was conducted using five scientific databases: EMBASE, MEDLINE, CINAHL, AMED, and Scopus. All databases were searched from their inception to January 2024. All relevant observational studies on the HL of TCIM users were included. From the 23 included studies, mean HL scores among most participants fell into the \"borderline-sufficient\" or \"moderate-high\" categories. These scores ssuggest HL may be associated with, or result from, frequent interactions with TCIM practitioners or services. Several sociodemographic characteristics shared a positive relationship with HL and TCIM use, including higher socioeconomic status. This review captures the breadth of HL scores reported by TCIM users and aims to elucidate relationships between HL and TCIM use. By enhancing our understanding of the health knowledge within this population, public health policies, educational programs, and future research can be more effectively targeted to user needs.</p>","PeriodicalId":16026,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Health Communication","volume":" ","pages":"1-26"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148669812","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"When Narrative Correction is Delivered by AI: Testing the Effects of Narrative Correction and AI Fact-Checking on Debunking Health Misinformation.","authors":"Bingbing Zhang","doi":"10.1080/10810730.2026.2712995","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2026.2712995","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Narrative-based fact-checking has been proposed as a promising strategy to improve the effectiveness of corrective messages, as narratives can lower reactance. However, less is known about whether the source of narrative correction shapes its effectiveness. As social media platforms increasingly adopt AI-based fact-checking tools, it is essential to understand how fact-checking strategies function in the age of AI. This study conducted an online between-subjects experiment testing the effects of fact-checking message format (statistical vs. narrative) and fact-checking source (human vs. AI) on counterarguing against fact-checking, perceived credibility of misinformation, and belief in misinformation. Results showed that narrative fact-checking reduced both counterarguing and perceived credibility of misinformation compared to statistical fact-checking, but it did not significantly reduce belief in misinformation. Furthermore, narrative fact-checking was more effective at reducing perceived credibility when delivered by a human rather than AI, whereas statistical fact-checking was more effective when delivered by AI rather than a human. These findings offer implications for social media platforms in tailoring fact-checking strategies based on message format and source.</p>","PeriodicalId":16026,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Health Communication","volume":" ","pages":"1-11"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148663879","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Unifying Guide for Action: A Practical Synthesis of National Academies Documents on Mis- and Disinformation (2020-2025).","authors":"Rachael Piltch-Loeb, Josefina Nuñez Sahr, Howard Koh, Vish K Viswanath, Elena Savoia","doi":"10.1080/10810730.2026.2705365","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2026.2705365","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The rapid spread of mis/disinformation has become a threat to public health. In response, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) produced nine publications on this topic between 2020-2025. This study qualitatively analyzes and synthesizes these publications to examine how approaches to misinformation are articulated across levels and sectors. The most recent, a 2025 Consensus Study Report, served as a reference framework; its 13 formal recommendations guided deductive coding of proposed actions across the remaining publications, with inductive refinement of emergent themes. As a result, seven themes emerged: 1) community engagement, 2) tools and techniques to counter misinformation, 3) communication, 4) social media and online platforms, 5) collaboration, 6) journalism, and 7) other priorities. Across these themes, approaches are distributed, but unevenly developed, across individual, community, institutional, and technological levels, involving a wide range of actors. Taken together, these publications call for practical, audience-specific communication strategies grounded in trust-building efforts, with genuine community involvement. Future work should evaluate the effectiveness of proposed approaches while considering the evolving regulatory, political, and social context in which misinformation persists.</p>","PeriodicalId":16026,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Health Communication","volume":" ","pages":"1-7"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148653676","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An Experimental Study Examining the Mechanisms Underlying the Impact of Media Literacy Education on Older adolescents' Cognitions About Risky Sexual Behaviors.","authors":"Tracy M Scull, Christina V Dodson, Kathryn Stump, Reina Evans-Paulson, Janis B Kupersmidt, Alexander M Schoemann","doi":"10.1080/10810730.2026.2703174","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10810730.2026.2703174","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Sexual media exposure is related to poorer adolescent sexual health outcomes. To address the influence of media on adolescent sexual health, programs have been developed using a media literacy education (MLE) approach designed to strengthen critical thinking about media and enhance healthy sexual decision-making. These programs have been found to impact students' critical media cognitions and sexual health outcomes; however, little is known about the mechanisms through which MLE impacts sexual health. This study uses a tightly-controlled experimental design in which adolescents were randomly assigned to an MLE-based sexual health intervention or a replica sexual health intervention without MLE to isolate the effects of MLE on adolescent outcomes. Participants completed surveys before and after their assigned intervention to assess their attitudes and normative beliefs about risky sexual behaviors. MLE favorably impacted sexual health cognitions (e.g. descriptive normative beliefs about risky sexual behaviors) by enhancing students' critical media cognitions (i.e. perceived realism of media messages). Utilizing a highly rigorous design, this study highlights the role of critical media cognitions in adolescent sexual decision making and pinpoints the advantage that MLE-based sexual health interventions have over non-MLE programs in preparing adolescents to make sexual decisions in our increasingly digital world.</p>","PeriodicalId":16026,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Health Communication","volume":" ","pages":"1-12"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148603829","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluating Healthcare Provider and Artificial Intelligence Chatbot Responses to Patient Messages from a Health System Using the CREATE TRUST Framework.","authors":"Matthew R Allen, Vijay M Tiyyala, Armaan Johal, Akhila Chekuri, Elizabeth Conner, Nimit Desai, Kaitlyn Dykes, Tanim Jain, Ah-Reum Jeong, William Mitchell, Sandip P Patel, Karthik Ramesh, Dean Schillinger, Job Schiach, Peter Vu, Davey Smith, Mark Dredze, Emilia Farcas, Michael Hogarth, John W Ayers","doi":"10.1080/10810730.2026.2707323","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2026.2707323","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Integration of artificial intelligence chatbots into healthcare requires rigorous, patient-centered evaluation. This study implements the CREATE TRUST framework-a novel tool evaluating both clinical substance and communication style-to compare responses from healthcare providers (HCPs) and two AI chatbots (GPT-4, Mixtral) to complex clinical questions. In this cross-sectional study, 189 real-world clinical messages from patients with cancer were retrospectively collected from an electronic health record. Anonymized and randomly ordered responses from the HCP, GPT-4, and Mixtral were blindly evaluated in triplicate by a team of oncologists. Evaluators rated each response on every attribute of CREATE TRUST (Correct, Referenced, Empathic, Authentic, Thorough, Engaging, Tailored, Respectful, Understandable, Safe) and provided an overall preference ranking. While HCP responses were ranked first most often (46% of evaluations), there was no significant difference in the overall CREATE TRUST score between HCPs (mean=28.9), GPT-4 (28.4), and Mixtral (28.1). HCPs performed significantly better on Authentic and Tailored. Chatbots scored higher on Empathic and Referenced. Performance was comparable for all other attributes. HCPs demonstrated greater performance variability, authoring a higher proportion of both high- and low-quality responses. HCPs and AI chatbots exhibit comparable overall quality but possess distinct, complementary strengths. HCPs excel in authentic, tailored communication, while chatbots provide more empathic and referenced responses. These findings suggest potential for a synergistic workflow where AI could enhance human-authored messages, improving targeted aspects of communication and mitigating low-quality responses.</p>","PeriodicalId":16026,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Health Communication","volume":" ","pages":"1-10"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148603863","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Allied Health Care Professional Susceptibility to Health Misinformation on Social Media: A Systematic Review.","authors":"Brianna Miluk, M M Gosa","doi":"10.1080/10810730.2026.2701885","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2026.2701885","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Health misinformation on social media platforms is increasingly prevalent and spreads faster than truthful content. Belief in health misinformation, especially by allied health care professionals, carries detrimental risks to patient care. The purpose of this study was to examine the current state of evidence on pediatric allied health care professionals' susceptibility to health misinformation on social media. Four research databases were searched and PRISMA guidelines were followed to identify and screen articles for inclusion in this evidence-based systematic review. Quality appraisal using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool and the Center for Evidence-Based Medicine quality appraisal tool was conducted to determine final inclusion for review. Three articles met inclusion criteria for further analysis. Overall, susceptibility to health misinformation is multifaceted and there are many psychological, behavioral, and demographic factors that impact susceptibility to misinformation. Information source and trust, group identity, preexisting beliefs, and emotions surrounding the topic play a major role in susceptibility to misinformation. This study highlights factors that are known to influence susceptibility to health misinformation. Susceptibility to health misinformation can influence allied health professionals' adoption of beliefs and practices that do not otherwise align with research-based methods. However, no research to date has analyzed susceptibility of health misinformation specifically with allied health care professionals and additional research is warranted.</p>","PeriodicalId":16026,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Health Communication","volume":" ","pages":"1-9"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148578687","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}