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Social Media and the Influence of Fake News on Global Health Interventions: Implications for a Study on Dengue in Brazil

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  • Marie-Catherine Gagnon-Dufresne

    (Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health of the University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H3N 1X9, Canada
    Center for Public Health Research, Montreal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada)

  • Mayana Azevedo Dantas

    (Center for Health Sciences, Ceará State University, Fortaleza 60714-903, CE, Brazil)

  • Kellyanne Abreu Silva

    (Center for Health Sciences, Ceará State University, Fortaleza 60714-903, CE, Brazil)

  • Jean Souza dos Anjos

    (Center for Humanities, Ceará State University, Fortaleza 60020-181, CE, Brazil
    Center for Applied Social Studies, Ceará State University, Fortaleza 60714-903, CE, Brazil)

  • Delano Pessoa Carneiro Barbosa

    (Kuya—Ceará Design Center, Fortaleza 60010-010, CE, Brazil)

  • Rebeca Porto Rosa

    (Center for Health Sciences, Ceará State University, Fortaleza 60714-903, CE, Brazil)

  • William de Luca

    (Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health of the University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H3N 1X9, Canada)

  • Monica Zahreddine

    (Center for Public Health Research, Montreal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada)

  • Andrea Caprara

    (Center for Health Sciences, Ceará State University, Fortaleza 60714-903, CE, Brazil)

  • Valéry Ridde

    (Population and Development Center, French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development, University of Paris, 75006 Paris, France)

  • Kate Zinszer

    (Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health of the University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H3N 1X9, Canada
    Center for Public Health Research, Montreal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada)

Abstract

Social media usage is growing globally, with an exponential increase in low- and middle-income countries. Social media changes the ways in which information-sharing occurs, intensifying the population’s exposure to misinformation, including fake news. This has important repercussions for global health. The spread of fake news can undermine the implementation of evidence-based interventions and weaken the credibility of scientific expertise. This is particularly worrisome in countries, such as Brazil, in a sociopolitical context characterized by a lack of popular trust in public institutions. In this project report, we describe our experience with the spread of fake news through the social media platform WhatsApp during the implementation of a cluster randomized controlled trial aimed at reducing dengue incidence in children in Fortaleza (Brazil). During initial visits to selected clusters, the research team was met with resistance. Then, soon after data collection started, fake news began circulating about the study. As a result, the research team developed strategies to dispel suspicion and further promote the study. However, the climate of violence and mistrust, coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic, forced the interruption of the study in 2019. The lessons learned from our experience in Fortaleza can be useful to other researchers and practitioners implementing large-scale interventions in this era of health-related misinformation.

Suggested Citation

  • Marie-Catherine Gagnon-Dufresne & Mayana Azevedo Dantas & Kellyanne Abreu Silva & Jean Souza dos Anjos & Delano Pessoa Carneiro Barbosa & Rebeca Porto Rosa & William de Luca & Monica Zahreddine & Andr, 2023. "Social Media and the Influence of Fake News on Global Health Interventions: Implications for a Study on Dengue in Brazil," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(7), pages 1-10, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:7:p:5299-:d:1110014
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. David Nemer, 2016. "Online Favela: The Use of Social Media by the Marginalized in Brazil," Information Technology for Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(3), pages 364-379, July.
    2. Anderson Fernandes Brito & Lais Ceschini Machado & Rachel J. Oidtman & Márcio Junio Lima Siconelli & Quan Minh Tran & Joseph R. Fauver & Rodrigo Dias de Oliveira Carvalho & Filipe Zimmer Dezordi & Myl, 2021. "Lying in wait: the resurgence of dengue virus after the Zika epidemic in Brazil," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-13, December.
    3. Evangelista, Rafael & Bruno, Fernanda, 2019. "WhatsApp and political instability in Brazil: targeted messages and political radicalisation," Internet Policy Review: Journal on Internet Regulation, Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG), Berlin, vol. 8(4), pages 1-23.
    4. Kris Hartley & Minh Khuong Vu, 2020. "Fighting fake news in the COVID-19 era: policy insights from an equilibrium model," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 53(4), pages 735-758, December.
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