1
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Li M, Devane D, Beecher C, Dowling M, Duffy AG, Duggan C, Grimes DR, Kennan A, Kilty C, Nsangi A, Oxman AD, Stewart DC, Toomey E, Tierney M. Prioritising Key Concepts for informed health choices in cancer: An evidence-based online educational programme. PEC INNOVATION 2024; 5:100311. [PMID: 39027229 PMCID: PMC11254741 DOI: 10.1016/j.pecinn.2024.100311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2023] [Revised: 06/14/2024] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
Objective The overabundance of health misinformation has undermined people's capacity to make evidence-based, informed choices about their health. Using the Informed Health Choices (IHC) Key Concepts (KCs), we are developing a two-stage education programme, Informed Health Choices-Cancer (IHC-C), to provide those impacted by cancer with the knowledge and skills necessary to think critically about the reliability of health information and claims and make well-informed choices. Stage 1 seeks to prioritise the most relevant Key Concepts. Methods A project group and a patient and carer participation group completed a two-round prioritisation process. The process involved disseminating pre-reading materials, training sessions, and a structured judgement form to evaluate concepts for inclusion. Data from each round were analysed to reach a consensus on the concepts to include. Results Fourteen participants were recruited and completed the first-round prioritisation. Fifteen participants undertook the second-round prioritisation. Nine Key Concepts were selected for the programme across five training sessions and two consensus meetings. Conclusion The prioritised concepts identified represent the most pertinent aspects of cancer-related information for those impacted by the disease. By incorporating these concepts into educational materials and communication strategies, healthcare providers and organisations can potentially help cancer patients, survivors, and their loved ones to recognise and combat cancer-related misinformation more effectively. Innovation This study introduces a participatory prioritisation process, which integrates the expertise of healthcare professionals with the insights of patients and carers, thereby enhancing the programme's relevance and applicability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengqi Li
- School of Nursing & Midwifery, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
- Health Research Board - Trials Methodology Research Network (HRB-TMRN), University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Declan Devane
- School of Nursing & Midwifery, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
- Health Research Board - Trials Methodology Research Network (HRB-TMRN), University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
- Evidence Synthesis Ireland and Cochrane Ireland, Galway, Ireland
| | - Claire Beecher
- School of Nursing & Midwifery, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
- Health Research Board - Trials Methodology Research Network (HRB-TMRN), University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
- Evidence Synthesis Ireland and Cochrane Ireland, Galway, Ireland
| | - Maura Dowling
- School of Nursing & Midwifery, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Austin G. Duffy
- Department of Medical Oncology, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Caitriona Duggan
- School of Nursing & Midwifery, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
- Department of Oncology, Portiuncula University Hospital, Galway, Ireland
| | - David Robert Grimes
- School of Physical Sciences, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland
- Discipline of radiation therapy, Trinity College Dublin, Trinity Centre for Health Sciences, St. James's Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Avril Kennan
- Health Research Charities Ireland (HRCI), Dublin, Ireland
| | | | - Allen Nsangi
- Department of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Andrew D. Oxman
- Centre for Epidemic Interventions Research, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Derek C. Stewart
- Evidence Synthesis Ireland and Cochrane Ireland, Galway, Ireland
- College of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Elaine Toomey
- School of Nursing & Midwifery, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Marie Tierney
- School of Nursing & Midwifery, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
- Health Research Board - Trials Methodology Research Network (HRB-TMRN), University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
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Shakhnazaryan N, Gima-Lange L, Desai A, Fitzgerald K, Kwon DH. Accuracy, readability, and quality of websites about metastatic renal cell carcinoma treatment. Urol Oncol 2024:S1078-1439(24)00527-1. [PMID: 38955572 DOI: 10.1016/j.urolonc.2024.06.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2024] [Revised: 05/27/2024] [Accepted: 06/13/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) face complex treatment decisions and frequently turn to the Internet for treatment information. The content of patient educational websites about mRCC treatment has not been evaluated. This study evaluated the accuracy, readability, and quality of websites about the treatment of mRCC. METHODS A total of 2,700 Internet queries were performed. Across 3 Internet search engines, 25 links of 36 permutations of mRCC keywords and their synonyms were screened for eligibility. Eligible websites were English-language websites containing information about mRCC treatments. Sponsored, social media, provider-facing, and news websites were excluded. Accuracy of eligible websites was evaluated in 2 domains: (1) Completeness by calculating the percentage of mRCC facts included in websites using an investigator-created checklist based on the NCI's RCC Treatment (PDQ®)-patient version, and (2) Correctness by identifying incorrect statements that were inconsistent with guidelines. Websites containing ≥60% of checklist items had a "passing" completeness score. Incorrect statements were tallied and qualitatively categorized. Readability was evaluated using the Fry and SMOG formulae, which calculate reading grade levels. Quality was evaluated using validated instruments that appraise health information quality: QUEST (scored 0-28), which focuses on online information, and DISCERN (scored 16-80), which focuses on treatment choices. RESULTS Thirty-nine websites were analyzed. Mean completeness score was 30% (range 0%-69%); only 2 (5%) websites had a passing score. Twelve (31%) websites had ≥1 incorrect statement, such as listing homeopathy or hormone therapy as mRCC treatment options, or including outdated statements. Mean readability levels were 11th and 12th grades for the Fry and SMOG methods, respectively. No website had a reading level lower than 9th grade. Mean QUEST score was 19 (range 9-28); authorship, complementarity, and currency items had the lowest scores. Mean DISCERN score was 56 (range 42-76), with 7 (18%) websites rated "excellent", 22 (56%) rated "good", and 10 (26%) rated fair. CONCLUSIONS Many websites about mRCC treatment have incomplete, inaccurate, and unreadable information. Quality is highly variable. Efforts to improve accuracy, readability, and quality are needed to ensure that patients with mRCC can make well-informed treatment decisions and avoid harm from misinformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nonna Shakhnazaryan
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, CA
| | - Liam Gima-Lange
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, CA
| | - Arpita Desai
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, CA; Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of California, San Francisco, CA
| | - Kelly Fitzgerald
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, CA; Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of California, San Francisco, CA
| | - Daniel H Kwon
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, CA; Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of California, San Francisco, CA.
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3
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Nickel B, Heiss R, Shih P, Gram EG, Copp T, Taba M, Moynihan R, Zadro J. Social Media Promotion of Health Tests With Potential for Overdiagnosis or Overuse: Protocol for a Content Analysis. JMIR Res Protoc 2024; 13:e56899. [PMID: 38833693 PMCID: PMC11185923 DOI: 10.2196/56899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2024] [Revised: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In recent years, social media have emerged as important spaces for commercial marketing of health tests, which can be used for the screening and diagnosis of otherwise generally healthy people. However, little is known about how health tests are promoted on social media, whether the information provided is accurate and balanced, and if there is transparency around conflicts of interest. OBJECTIVE This study aims to understand and quantify how social media is being used to discuss or promote health tests with the potential for overdiagnosis or overuse to generally healthy people. METHODS Content analysis of social media posts on the anti-Mullerian hormone test, whole-body magnetic resonance imaging scan, multicancer early detection, testosterone test, and gut microbe test from influential international social media accounts on Instagram and TikTok. The 5 tests have been identified as having the following criteria: (1) there are evidence-based concerns about overdiagnosis or overuse, (2) there is evidence or concerns that the results of tests do not lead to improved health outcomes for generally healthy people and may cause harm or waste, and (3) the tests are being promoted on social media to generally healthy people. English language text-only posts, images, infographics, articles, recorded videos including reels, and audio-only posts are included. Posts from accounts with <1000 followers as well as stories, live videos, and non-English posts are excluded. Using keywords related to the test, the top posts were searched and screened until there were 100 eligible posts from each platform for each test (total of 1000 posts). Data from the caption, video, and on-screen text are being summarized and extracted into a Microsoft Excel (Microsoft Corporation) spreadsheet and included in the analysis. The analysis will take a combined inductive approach when generating key themes and a deductive approach using a prespecified framework. Quantitative data will be analyzed in Stata SE (version 18.0; Stata Corp). RESULTS Data on Instagram and TikTok have been searched and screened. Analysis has now commenced. The findings will be disseminated via publications in peer-reviewed international medical journals and will also be presented at national and international conferences in late 2024 and 2025. CONCLUSIONS This study will contribute to the limited evidence base on the nature of the relationship between social media and the problems of overdiagnosis and overuse of health care services. This understanding is essential to develop strategies to mitigate potential harm and plan solutions, with the aim of helping to protect members of the public from being marketed low-value tests, becoming patients unnecessarily, and taking resources away from genuine needs within the health system. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/56899.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brooke Nickel
- Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Raffael Heiss
- Center for Social & Health Innovation, Management Centre Innsbruk, Innsbruk, Austria
| | - Patti Shih
- Australian Centre for Health Engagement Evidence and Values, School of Health and Society, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia
| | - Emma Grundtvig Gram
- Center for General Practice, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, Australia
| | - Tessa Copp
- Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Melody Taba
- Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Ray Moynihan
- Institute for Evidence-Based Healthcare, Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine, Bond University, Gold Coast, Australia
| | - Joshua Zadro
- Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
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Nortje N, Palmer A, Enck G, Masciari CF, Neumann J, Gallagher CM. Evolving Landscape of Ethics in Oncology: A Journey Through the Past, Present, and Future. Am Soc Clin Oncol Educ Book 2024; 44:e100043. [PMID: 38788171 DOI: 10.1200/edbk_100043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
Providing a brief overview of past, present, and future ethics issues in oncology, this article begins with historical contexts, including the paternalistic approach to cancer care. It delves into present-day challenges such as navigating cancer treatment during pregnancy and addressing health care disparities faced by LGBTQ+ individuals. It also explores the ethical implications of emerging technologies, notably artificial intelligence and Big Data, in clinical decision making and medical education.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nico Nortje
- University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Amitabha Palmer
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Section of Integrated Ethics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Gavin Enck
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Section of Integrated Ethics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Christopher Frank Masciari
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Section of Integrated Ethics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Joyce Neumann
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Section of Integrated Ethics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Colleen Mary Gallagher
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Section of Integrated Ethics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
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5
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Bylund CL, Taylor G, Vasquez TS, Alpert J, Johnson SB, Le T, Paige SR, Close J, Markham MJ. Talking with clinicians about online cancer information: a survey of cancer patients and surrogate information seekers. Support Care Cancer 2024; 32:362. [PMID: 38755329 DOI: 10.1007/s00520-024-08578-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To describe patients' and surrogate information seekers' experiences talking to clinicians about online cancer information. To assess the impact of clinicians telling patients or surrogate seekers not to search for information online. DESIGN Cross-sectional survey. SAMPLE A total of 282 participants, including 185 individuals with cancer and 97 surrogate seekers. METHODS Individuals were recruited through a broad consent registry and completed a 20-min survey. FINDINGS Cancer patients and surrogate seekers did not differ significantly in their experiences talking with clinicians about online cancer information. Nearly all patients and surrogate seekers who were told by a clinician not to go online for cancer information did so anyway. IMPLICATIONS Interventions for improving cancer information seeking and communication with clinicians should target both patients and surrogate seekers. Clinicians should be educated about effective ways to communicate with patients and surrogate seekers about online cancer information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carma L Bylund
- College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
| | - Greenberry Taylor
- School of Creative Arts and Letters Flagler College, St. Augustine, FL, 32084, USA
| | - Taylor S Vasquez
- College of Journalism and Communications, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Jordan Alpert
- Department of Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA
| | - Skyler B Johnson
- University of Utah School of Medicine, Huntsman Cancer Institute, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA
| | - Tien Le
- College of Journalism and Communications, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Samantha R Paige
- College of Journalism and Communications, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Julia Close
- College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
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6
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Gatellier L, Charvat H, Ito Y, Matsuda T. Do the general public get cancer statistics?-a questionnaire survey in Japan. Jpn J Clin Oncol 2024; 54:537-548. [PMID: 38336473 DOI: 10.1093/jjco/hyae007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The public does not always understand key information conveyed by epidemiologists and statisticians. The purpose of this study was to understand the level of public access to, trust in, and comprehension of, cancer statistics through a population-based survey in Japan. METHODS We used an online research method, requesting online responses to a 15-question questionnaire. The survey was sent to males and females aged 20 years and older, selected by sex, age and prefecture to match the national population proportions shown in the latest census. The final number of valid responses was 10 477. The statistical analyses mainly used χ2 testing. RESULTS Respondents were not frequently exposed to cancer statistics regardless of sex or age group, nor did they necessarily have confidence in the statistics. The increase of collected information and trust in cancer statistics was aligned with increasing age and cancer exposure. Respondents found Relative Risk and Relative Survival Rate easier to understand and more useful than the Standardized Incidence Ratio. In addition, those with cancer experience, higher income and were elderly gave more accurate responses when asked questions related to cancer incidence and probability of getting cancer. CONCLUSIONS Our respondents showed limited familiarity with cancer statistical indicators. Enhanced awareness of indicators such as infographics and visual tools has the potential to enhance cancer visibility, thereby promoting public prevention and early detection efforts. Educating cancer patients about pertinent indicators can boost their confidence in managing their condition. Conversely, the introduction of indicators unrelated to the public should be discouraged.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laureline Gatellier
- Division of International Health Policy Research, Institute for Cancer Control, National Cancer Center, 5-1-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-Ku, Tokyo 104-0045, Japan
| | - Hadrien Charvat
- Faculty of International Liberal Arts, Juntendo University, 2-1-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8421, Japan
| | - Yuri Ito
- Department of Medical Statistics, Research & Development Center Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University, 2-7 Daigaku-machi, Takatsuki City, Osaka 569-8686 Japan
| | - Tomohiro Matsuda
- Division of International Health Policy Research, Institute for Cancer Control, National Cancer Center, 5-1-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-Ku, Tokyo 104-0045, Japan
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7
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Richartz ER, Hodgkiss BA, Black-Ocken NC, Fuentes RA, Looper JS, Withers SS. Characterization of the dissemination of canine cancer misinformation on YouTube. Vet Comp Oncol 2024. [PMID: 38679924 DOI: 10.1111/vco.12977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2024] [Revised: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/06/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024]
Abstract
YouTube is the third most popular app in the world and continues to grow each year while it reaches over 2 billion users a month. A variety of veterinary topics are addressed on YouTube but to date there have been no studies analysing misinformation of various canine cancer topics on YouTube or social media. This study described the characteristics of 99 unique videos and used the validated DISCERN quality criteria for consumer health information and the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT) to characterize their usefulness. The overall median DISCERN quality score was 3 (out of 5), the median PEMAT understandability score was 72%, and 61% of videos contained little to no misinformation. 53% of videos were created by veterinarians and this subset had significantly higher PEMAT understandability and DISCERN quality scores compared with client-created content (p = .0228 and p ≤ .0001, respectively). Videos with little to no misinformation had statistically significant higher DISCERN quality scores (3 vs. 2, p = .0001). There was no statistical significance between misinformation levels and video length, PEMAT understandability, thumbs up/view, or views/mo. These data reveal similar rates of misinformation in videos on canine cancer compared to that reported for various human cancer topics. This study highlights the need for veterinarians to guide clients to more reliable and understandable information regarding their pet's health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eliza R Richartz
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
| | - Brittany A Hodgkiss
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
| | - Noah C Black-Ocken
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
| | - Rebecca A Fuentes
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
| | - Jayme S Looper
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
| | - Sita S Withers
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
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8
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Knoppers T, Haley CE, Bouhouita-Guermech S, Hagan J, Bradbury-Jost J, Alarie S, Cosquer M, Zawati MH. From code to care: Clinician and researcher perspectives on an optimal therapeutic web portal for acute myeloid leukemia. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0302156. [PMID: 38635542 PMCID: PMC11025855 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0302156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a rapidly progressing cancer of the blood and bone marrow, is the most common and fatal type of adult leukemia. Therapeutic web portals have great potential to facilitate AML research advances and improve health outcomes by increasing the availability of data, the speed and reach of new knowledge, and the communication between researchers and clinicians in the field. However, there is a need for stakeholder research regarding their optimal features, utility, and implementation. METHODS To better understand stakeholder perspectives regarding an ideal pan-Canadian web portal for AML research, semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 17 clinicians, researchers, and clinician-researchers. Interview guides were inspired by De Laat's "fictive scripting", a method where experts are presented with scenarios about a future technology and asked questions about its implementation. Content analysis relied on an iterative process using themes extracted from both existing scientific literature and the data. RESULTS Participants described potential benefits of an AML therapeutic portal including facilitating data-sharing, communication, and collaboration, and enhancing clinical trial matchmaking for patients, potentially based on their specific genomic profiles. There was enthusiasm about researcher, clinician, and clinician-researcher access, but some disagreement about the nature of potential patient access to the portal. Interviewees also discussed two key elements they believed to be vital to the uptake and thus success of a therapeutic AML web portal: credibility and user friendliness. Finally, sustainability, security and privacy concerns were also documented. CONCLUSIONS This research adds to existing calls for digital platforms for researchers and clinicians to supplement extant modes of communication to streamline research and its dissemination, advance precision medicine, and ultimately improve patient prognosis and care. Findings are applicable to therapeutic web portals more generally, particularly in genomic and translational medicine, and will be of interest to portal end-users, developers, researchers, and policymakers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Terese Knoppers
- Centre of Genomics and Policy, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Cassandra E. Haley
- Centre of Genomics and Policy, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | | | - Julie Hagan
- Centre of Genomics and Policy, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | | | - Samuel Alarie
- Centre of Genomics and Policy, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Marie Cosquer
- Centre of Genomics and Policy, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Ma’n H. Zawati
- Centre of Genomics and Policy, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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Zakrzewski DM, Podlejska P, Kubziakowska W, Dzwilewski K, Waszak PM, Zawadzka M, Mazurkiewicz-Bełdzińska M. Evaluating the Credibility and Reliability of Online Information on Cannabidiol (CBD) for Epilepsy Treatment in Poland. Healthcare (Basel) 2024; 12:830. [PMID: 38667591 PMCID: PMC11050258 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare12080830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2024] [Revised: 04/06/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The interest in the potential therapeutic use of cannabis, especially cannabidiol (CBD), has increased significantly in recent years. On the Internet, users can find lots of articles devoted to its medical features such as reducing seizure activity in epilepsy. The aim of our work was to evaluate the information contained on the websites, including social media, in terms of the credibility and the reliability of current knowledge about the usage of products containing cannabidiol in epilepsy treatment. We used online available links found using the Newspointtool. The initial database included 38,367 texts, but after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 314 texts were taken into consideration. Analysis was performed using the DISCERN scale and the set of questions created by the authors. In the final assessment, we observed that most of the texts (58.9%) were characterized by a very poor level of reliability and the average DISCERN score was 26.97 points. Additionally, considering the form of the text, the highest average score (35.73) came from entries on blog portals, whereas the lowest average score (18.33) came from comments and online discussion forums. Moreover, most of the texts do not contain key information regarding the indications, safety, desired effects, and side effects of CBD therapy. The study highlights the need for healthcare professionals to guide patients towards reliable sources of information and cautions against the use of unverified online materials, especially as the only FDA-approved CBD medication, Epidiolex, differs significantly from over-the-counter CBD products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dawid M. Zakrzewski
- Department of Developmental Neurology, Medical University of Gdansk, 80-210 Gdansk, Poland; (D.M.Z.); (W.K.); (K.D.); (M.Z.); (M.M.-B.)
| | - Patrycja Podlejska
- Department of Developmental Neurology, Medical University of Gdansk, 80-210 Gdansk, Poland; (D.M.Z.); (W.K.); (K.D.); (M.Z.); (M.M.-B.)
| | - Wiktoria Kubziakowska
- Department of Developmental Neurology, Medical University of Gdansk, 80-210 Gdansk, Poland; (D.M.Z.); (W.K.); (K.D.); (M.Z.); (M.M.-B.)
| | - Kamil Dzwilewski
- Department of Developmental Neurology, Medical University of Gdansk, 80-210 Gdansk, Poland; (D.M.Z.); (W.K.); (K.D.); (M.Z.); (M.M.-B.)
| | - Przemysław M. Waszak
- Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Medical University of Gdansk, 80-210 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Marta Zawadzka
- Department of Developmental Neurology, Medical University of Gdansk, 80-210 Gdansk, Poland; (D.M.Z.); (W.K.); (K.D.); (M.Z.); (M.M.-B.)
| | - Maria Mazurkiewicz-Bełdzińska
- Department of Developmental Neurology, Medical University of Gdansk, 80-210 Gdansk, Poland; (D.M.Z.); (W.K.); (K.D.); (M.Z.); (M.M.-B.)
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Swire-Thompson B, Johnson S. Cancer: A model topic for misinformation researchers. Curr Opin Psychol 2024; 56:101775. [PMID: 38101247 PMCID: PMC10939853 DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2023.101775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Revised: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Although cancer might seem like a niche subject, we argue that it is a model topic for misinformation researchers, and an ideal area of application given its importance for society. We first discuss the prevalence of cancer misinformation online and how it has the potential to cause harm. We next examine the financial incentives for those who profit from disinformation dissemination, how people with cancer are a uniquely vulnerable population, and why trust in science and medical professionals is particularly relevant to this topic. We finally discuss how belief in cancer misinformation has clear objective consequences and can be measured with treatment adherence and health outcomes such as mortality. In sum, cancer misinformation could assist the characterization of misinformation beliefs and be used to develop tools to combat misinformation in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Briony Swire-Thompson
- Northeastern University, Network Science Institute, Department of Political Science, Department of Psychology, 177 Huntington Ave, Boston, USA.
| | - Skyler Johnson
- University of Utah, Huntsman Cancer Institute, 1950 Circle of Hope Dr, Salt Lake City, USA
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11
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Zampatti S, Peconi C, Megalizzi D, Calvino G, Trastulli G, Cascella R, Strafella C, Caltagirone C, Giardina E. Innovations in Medicine: Exploring ChatGPT's Impact on Rare Disorder Management. Genes (Basel) 2024; 15:421. [PMID: 38674356 PMCID: PMC11050022 DOI: 10.3390/genes15040421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2024] [Revised: 03/25/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the field of medicine, announcing a new era of innovation and efficiency. Among AI programs designed for general use, ChatGPT holds a prominent position, using an innovative language model developed by OpenAI. Thanks to the use of deep learning techniques, ChatGPT stands out as an exceptionally viable tool, renowned for generating human-like responses to queries. Various medical specialties, including rheumatology, oncology, psychiatry, internal medicine, and ophthalmology, have been explored for ChatGPT integration, with pilot studies and trials revealing each field's potential benefits and challenges. However, the field of genetics and genetic counseling, as well as that of rare disorders, represents an area suitable for exploration, with its complex datasets and the need for personalized patient care. In this review, we synthesize the wide range of potential applications for ChatGPT in the medical field, highlighting its benefits and limitations. We pay special attention to rare and genetic disorders, aiming to shed light on the future roles of AI-driven chatbots in healthcare. Our goal is to pave the way for a healthcare system that is more knowledgeable, efficient, and centered around patient needs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefania Zampatti
- Genomic Medicine Laboratory UILDM, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, 00179 Rome, Italy; (S.Z.)
| | - Cristina Peconi
- Genomic Medicine Laboratory UILDM, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, 00179 Rome, Italy; (S.Z.)
| | - Domenica Megalizzi
- Genomic Medicine Laboratory UILDM, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, 00179 Rome, Italy; (S.Z.)
- Department of Science, Roma Tre University, 00146 Rome, Italy
| | - Giulia Calvino
- Genomic Medicine Laboratory UILDM, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, 00179 Rome, Italy; (S.Z.)
- Department of Science, Roma Tre University, 00146 Rome, Italy
| | - Giulia Trastulli
- Genomic Medicine Laboratory UILDM, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, 00179 Rome, Italy; (S.Z.)
- Department of System Medicine, Tor Vergata University, 00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Raffaella Cascella
- Genomic Medicine Laboratory UILDM, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, 00179 Rome, Italy; (S.Z.)
- Department of Chemical-Toxicological and Pharmacological Evaluation of Drugs, Catholic University Our Lady of Good Counsel, 1000 Tirana, Albania
| | - Claudia Strafella
- Genomic Medicine Laboratory UILDM, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, 00179 Rome, Italy; (S.Z.)
| | - Carlo Caltagirone
- Department of Clinical and Behavioral Neurology, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00179 Rome, Italy;
| | - Emiliano Giardina
- Genomic Medicine Laboratory UILDM, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, 00179 Rome, Italy; (S.Z.)
- Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, Tor Vergata University, 00133 Rome, Italy
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12
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Kusudo M, Terada M, Kureyama N, Wanifuchi-Endo Y, Fujita T, Asano T, Kato A, Mori M, Horisawa N, Toyama T. Characterizing user demographics in posts related to breast, lung and colon cancer on Japanese twitter (X). Sci Rep 2024; 14:6485. [PMID: 38499598 PMCID: PMC10948868 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-56679-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Various cancer-related information is spreading on social media. Our study aimed to examine the account types associated with cancer-related tweets (currently known as posts) on Twitter (currently known as X) in Japan, specifically focusing on breast, lung, and colon cancer. Using the Twitter application programming interface, we collected tweets containing keywords of the three cancers type in August-September 2022. The accounts were categorized into seven types: Survivor, Patient's family, Healthcare provider, Public organization, Private organization, News, and Other according to account name and texts. We analyzed the sources of the top 50 most liked and retweeted tweets. Out of 7753 identified tweets, breast cancer represented the majority (62.8%), followed by lung cancer (20.8%) and colon cancer (16.3%). Tweets came from 4976 accounts. Account types varied depending on the cancer type, with breast cancer topics more frequently from Survivor (16.0%) and lung cancer from Patient's family (16.3%). Healthcare provider and Public organization had minimal representation across three cancer types. The trends in the top 50 tweets mirrored the distribution of accounts for each cancer type. Breast cancer-related tweets had the highest frequency. There were few from public organizations. These findings emphasize the need to consider the characteristics of cancer-related information sources when sharing and gathering information on social media.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maho Kusudo
- Department of Breast Surgery, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, 1 Kawasumi, Mizuho-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 467-8601, Japan
- Department of Breast Oncology, Aichi Cancer Center Hospital, 1-1 Kanokoden, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8681, Japan
| | - Mitsuo Terada
- Department of Breast Surgery, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, 1 Kawasumi, Mizuho-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 467-8601, Japan.
| | - Nari Kureyama
- Department of Breast Surgery, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, 1 Kawasumi, Mizuho-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 467-8601, Japan
- Department of Breast Oncology, Aichi Cancer Center Hospital, 1-1 Kanokoden, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8681, Japan
| | - Yumi Wanifuchi-Endo
- Department of Breast Surgery, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, 1 Kawasumi, Mizuho-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 467-8601, Japan
| | - Takashi Fujita
- Department of Breast Surgery, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, 1 Kawasumi, Mizuho-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 467-8601, Japan
| | - Tomoko Asano
- Department of Breast Surgery, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, 1 Kawasumi, Mizuho-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 467-8601, Japan
| | - Akiko Kato
- Department of Breast Surgery, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, 1 Kawasumi, Mizuho-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 467-8601, Japan
| | - Makiko Mori
- Department of Breast Surgery, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, 1 Kawasumi, Mizuho-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 467-8601, Japan
| | - Nanae Horisawa
- Department of Breast Surgery, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, 1 Kawasumi, Mizuho-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 467-8601, Japan
| | - Tatsuya Toyama
- Department of Breast Surgery, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, 1 Kawasumi, Mizuho-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 467-8601, Japan
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13
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Sütcüoğlu BM, Güler M. Social Media Videos on Contraceptive Implants: An Assessment of Video Quality and Reliability. J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol 2024; 37:39-44. [PMID: 37634871 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpag.2023.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Revised: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023]
Abstract
STUDY OBJECTIVE There are many videos on contraception on YouTube and TikTok, and women around the world use video platforms extensively to seek health information from videos of uncertain reliability and quality. The main objective of this research was to evaluate the scientific reliability and quality of the most popular social media videos about contraceptive subdermal implants. METHODS TikTok and YouTube videos were assessed separately by two gynecologists. The video quality was evaluated according to the DISCERN score, modified DISCERN score, and Global Quality Scale (GQS) score. RESULTS The study included the 100 most popular videos, 44 of which were uploaded by health care professionals. The median DISCERN score for videos shared by health care professionals was 50 (range 15-75), whereas it was 22 (range 15-56) for videos shared by independent users (P < .001). The median modified DISCERN score was 4 (min-max 0-5), and the median GQS score was 4 (min-max 1-5) for the videos uploaded by health care professionals. The modified DISCERN and GQS scores of TikTok videos were lower than those of YouTube videos (both P < .001). CONCLUSION Social media videos about contraceptive subdermal implants are popular and have been viewed tens of thousands of times, but the overall medical validity, which we evaluated according to the scoring systems, was poor. Despite the large number of videos, the content's quality and reliability are quite limited. There is a need to prioritize the education provided to patients by gynecologists, as well as to create high-quality content for YouTube and other similar platforms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Melike Güler
- Lokman Hekim University, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Ankara, Turkey
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14
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E R, J T, Ek Q, Ss F, E H, G P, Ce P. Canadians' knowledge of cancer risk factors and belief in cancer myths. BMC Public Health 2024; 24:329. [PMID: 38291409 PMCID: PMC10829248 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-17832-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/20/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Many untrue statements about cancer prevention and risks are circulating. The objective of this study was to assess Canadians' awareness of known cancer risk factors and cancer myths (untruths or statements that are not completely true), and to explore how awareness may vary by sociodemographic and cognitive factors. METHODS Cancer myths were identified by conducting scans of published, grey literature, and social media. Intuitive-analytic thinking disposition scores included were actively open- and close-minded thinking, as well as preference for intuitive and effortful thinking. A survey was administered online to participants aged 18 years and older through Prolific. Results were summarized descriptively and analyzed using chi-square tests, as well as Spearman rank and Pearson correlations. RESULTS Responses from 734 Canadians were received. Participants were better at identifying known cancer risk factors (70% of known risks) compared to cancer myths (49%). Bivariate analyses showed differential awareness of known cancer risk factors (p < 0.05) by population density and income, cancer myths by province, and for both by ethnicity, age, and all thinking disposition scores. Active open-minded thinking and preference for effortful thinking were associated with greater discernment. Tobacco-related risk factors were well-identified (> 90% correctly identified), but recognition of other known risk factors was poor (as low as 23% for low vegetable and fruit intake). Mythical cancer risk factors with high support were consuming additives (61%), feeling stressed (52%), and consuming artificial sweeteners (49%). High uncertainty of causation was observed for glyphosate (66% neither agreed or disagreed). For factors that reduce cancer risk, reasonable awareness was observed for HPV vaccination (60%), but there was a high prevalence in cancer myths, particularly that consuming antioxidants (65%) and organic foods (45%) are protective, and some uncertainty whether drinking red wine (41%), consuming vitamins (32%), and smoking cannabis (30%) reduces cancer risk. CONCLUSIONS While Canadians were able to identify tobacco-related cancer risk factors, many myths were believed and numerous risk factors were not recognized. Cancer myths can be harmful in themselves and can detract the public's attention from and action on established risk factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rydz E
- School of Population and Public Health, CAREX Canada, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
- Department of Oncology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Telfer J
- School of Population and Public Health, CAREX Canada, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Quinn Ek
- School of Population and Public Health, CAREX Canada, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
- Department of Oncology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Fazel Ss
- Department of Oncology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Holmes E
- Canadian Cancer Society, Toronto, Canada
| | - Pennycook G
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, New York, USA
| | - Peters Ce
- School of Population and Public Health, CAREX Canada, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
- Department of Oncology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.
- BC Centre for Disease Control, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
- BC Cancer, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
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15
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Pearce E, Raj H, Emezienna N, Gilkey MB, Lazard AJ, Ribisl KM, Savage SA, Han PK. The Use of Social Media to Express and Manage Medical Uncertainty in Dyskeratosis Congenita: Content Analysis. JMIR INFODEMIOLOGY 2024; 4:e46693. [PMID: 38224480 PMCID: PMC10825764 DOI: 10.2196/46693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Revised: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/16/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Social media has the potential to provide social support for rare disease communities; however, little is known about the use of social media for the expression of medical uncertainty, a common feature of rare diseases. OBJECTIVE This study aims to evaluate the expression of medical uncertainty on social media in the context of dyskeratosis congenita, a rare cancer-prone inherited bone marrow failure and telomere biology disorder (TBD). METHODS We performed a content analysis of uncertainty-related posts on Facebook and Twitter managed by Team Telomere, a patient advocacy group for this rare disease. We assessed the frequency of uncertainty-related posts, uncertainty sources, issues, and management and associations between uncertainty and social support. RESULTS Across all TBD social media platforms, 45.98% (1269/2760) of posts were uncertainty related. Uncertainty-related posts authored by Team Telomere on Twitter focused on scientific (306/434, 70.5%) or personal (230/434, 53%) issues and reflected uncertainty arising from probability, ambiguity, or complexity. Uncertainty-related posts in conversations among patients and caregivers in the Facebook community group focused on scientific (429/511, 84%), personal (157/511, 30.7%), and practical (114/511, 22.3%) issues, many of which were related to prognostic unknowns. Both platforms suggested uncertainty management strategies that focused on information sharing and community building. Posts reflecting response-focused uncertainty management strategies (eg, emotional regulation) were more frequent on Twitter compared with the Facebook community group (χ21=3.9; P=.05), whereas posts reflecting uncertainty-focused management strategies (eg, ordering information) were more frequent in the Facebook community group compared with Twitter (χ21=55.1; P<.001). In the Facebook community group, only 36% (184/511) of members created posts during the study period, and those who created posts did so with a low frequency (median 3, IQR 1-7 posts). Analysis of post creator characteristics suggested that most users of TBD social media are White, female, and parents of patients with dyskeratosis congenita. CONCLUSIONS Although uncertainty is a pervasive and multifactorial issue in TBDs, our findings suggest that the discussion of medical uncertainty on TBD social media is largely limited to brief exchanges about scientific, personal, or practical issues rather than ongoing supportive conversation. The nature of uncertainty-related conversations also varied by user group: patients and caregivers used social media primarily to discuss scientific uncertainties (eg, regarding prognosis), form social connections, or exchange advice on accessing and organizing medical care, whereas Team Telomere used social media to express scientific and personal issues of uncertainty and to address the emotional impact of uncertainty. The higher involvement of female parents on TBD social media suggests a potentially greater burden of uncertainty management among mothers compared with other groups. Further research is needed to understand the dynamics of social media engagement to manage medical uncertainty in the TBD community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Pearce
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, Clinical Genetics Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, United States
| | - Hannah Raj
- Team Telomere, Coeur d'Alene, ID, United States
| | - Ngozika Emezienna
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, Clinical Genetics Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, United States
| | - Melissa B Gilkey
- Department of Health Behavior, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Allison J Lazard
- Hussman School of Journalism and Media, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Kurt M Ribisl
- Department of Health Behavior, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Sharon A Savage
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, Clinical Genetics Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, United States
| | - Paul Kj Han
- Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, Behavioral Research Program, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, United States
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16
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Elshami M, Naji SA, Dwikat MF, Al-Slaibi I, Alser M, Ayyad M, Mohamad BM, Isleem WS, Shurrab A, Yaghi B, Qabaja YA, Hamdan FK, Sweity RR, Jneed RT, Assaf KA, Albandak ME, Hmaid MM, Awwad II, Alhabil BK, Alarda MN, Alsattari AS, Aboyousef MS, Aljbour OA, AlSharif R, Giacaman CT, Alnaga AY, Abu Nemer RM, Almadhoun NM, Skaik SM, Bottcher B, Abu-El-Noor N. Myths and Common Misbeliefs About Colorectal Cancer Causation in Palestine: A National Cross-Sectional Study. JCO Glob Oncol 2024; 10:e2300295. [PMID: 38166235 PMCID: PMC10803036 DOI: 10.1200/go.23.00295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2023] [Revised: 10/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/04/2024] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE To explore public awareness of myths around colorectal cancer (CRC) causation in Palestine and to examine factors associated with good awareness. MATERIALS AND METHODS Convenience sampling was used to recruit adult Palestinians from governmental hospitals, primary health care centers, and public spaces. Recognizing 13 myths around CRC causation was assessed using a translated-into-Arabic version of the Cancer Awareness Measure-Mythical Causes Scale. Awareness level was determined based on the number of CRC mythical causes recognized: poor (0-4), fair (5-9), and good (10-13). Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the association between sociodemographic characteristics and displaying good awareness. It adjusted for age group, sex, education, occupation, monthly income, residence, marital status, having chronic diseases, being a vegetarian, knowing someone with cancer, and site of data collection. RESULTS Of 5,254 participants approached, 4,877 agreed to participate (response rate, 92.3%). A total of 4,623 questionnaires were included in the final analysis: 2,700 from the West Bank and Jerusalem (WBJ) and 1,923 from the Gaza Strip. Only 219 participants (4.7%) demonstrated good awareness of myths around CRC causation. WBJ participants were twice more likely than those from the Gaza Strip to display good recognition (5.9% v 3.1%). Male sex, living in the WBJ, and visiting hospitals were all associated with an increase in the likelihood of displaying good awareness. Conversely, knowing someone with cancer was associated with a decrease in the likelihood of displaying good awareness. Having a physical trauma was the most recognized CRC causation myth (n = 2,752, 59.5%), whereas eating food containing additives was the least (n = 456, 9.8%). CONCLUSION Only 4.7% displayed good ability to recognize myths around CRC causation. Future educational interventions are needed to help the public distinguish the evidence-based versus mythical causes of CRC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamedraed Elshami
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, OH
- Ministry of Health, Gaza, Palestine
| | | | | | | | - Mohammed Alser
- The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Gaza, Palestine
| | - Mohammed Ayyad
- Faculty of Medicine, Al-Quds University, Jerusalem, Palestine
| | | | | | | | - Bashar Yaghi
- Faculty of Medicine, Al-Quds University, Jerusalem, Palestine
| | | | | | | | | | - Khayria Ali Assaf
- Faculty of Medicine, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine
| | | | | | - Iyas Imad Awwad
- Faculty of Medicine, Al-Quds University, Jerusalem, Palestine
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Rinad AlSharif
- Faculty of Medicine, Al-Quds University, Jerusalem, Palestine
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Bettina Bottcher
- Faculty of Medicine, Islamic University of Gaza, Gaza, Palestine
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17
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Sommer SB, Barroso JV, Bass SB, Congema MR, Schoemann AM, Caiola CE. Peer advice for women living with HIV in the Southern USA. CULTURE, HEALTH & SEXUALITY 2023:1-16. [PMID: 38047389 PMCID: PMC11147954 DOI: 10.1080/13691058.2023.2281371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Abstract
Peer advice can provide emotional, social and practical assistance for the sustained self-management of chronic conditions. For stigmatised diseases such as HIV, finding support can be challenging. Women living with HIV in the Southern USA are additionally impacted upon by region-specific barriers such as stigma, poverty and limited access to services. The effectiveness of peer advice has been studied, yet little is known about the advice shared amongst women living with HIV. Therefore, we aimed to qualitatively explore the context and content of the advice participants offered to other women. With the assistance of a Community Clinician Advisory Board, women were recruited from across the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention South Census Region. In-depth interviews were conducted with (N = 40) participants, aged 23 to 72 years (M = 51.2). Qualitative inductive thematic analysis was used to explore both the solicited and unprompted advice shared during individual interviews. Analysis of interview transcripts revealed three advice themes: Consistency in disease management Practical, non-medical advice; and Emotional and social support. The findings are valuable in shaping future peer-delivered programmes and interventions to enhance HIV care engagement, medication adherence, and the well-being of women living with HIV in the Southern USA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sadie B Sommer
- School of Nursing, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Julie V Barroso
- School of Nursing, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Sarah B Bass
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Marianne R Congema
- College of Nursing, East Carolina University, Greenville, South Carolina, USA
| | | | - Courtney E Caiola
- College of Nursing, East Carolina University, Greenville, South Carolina, USA
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18
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Mora J, Romo R, Dempsey S, Silva B, Nevels D, Leone GW, Stolley M. Engaging the community served: a U.S. Cancer Center's Facebook live cancer awareness campaign for Spanish-speaking Latinos during COVID-19. Cancer Causes Control 2023; 34:1037-1042. [PMID: 37490139 DOI: 10.1007/s10552-023-01755-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023]
Abstract
Cancer is the leading cause of mortality in U.S. Latino adults, a group with limited access to screening, higher rates of advanced disease, and prone to online misinformation. Our project created a Facebook Live social media video campaign on general cancer prevention, screening, risk, information, and resources, targeting Spanish-monolingual Latinos during the COVID-19 pandemic. Content was delivered in Spanish by fluent, ethnically concordant topic experts and cancer center staff. Four prerecorded and three livestream interview videos were produced, amassing over 161 shares, 1,000 engagements, 12,000 views, 19,000 people reached, and 34,000 impressions in a span of four months. Strengths of this project included developing community partnerships and collaborations, providing evidence-based cancer information in a culturally responsive manner to often-excluded community members during COVID-19 pandemic, and presenting our cancer center as an accessible resource to the wider community. Future directions include formalizing evaluation strategies to capture medical engagement via cancer screening and detection rates, delivering focused cancer discussions by disease sites, and further expanding audience base through mixed media formats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Mora
- Harvard Radiation Oncology Program, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Raul Romo
- Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Center, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | | | | | - Debra Nevels
- Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Center, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Gustavo W Leone
- Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Center, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Melinda Stolley
- Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Center, Milwaukee, WI, USA
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19
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Elshami M, Ismail IO, Alser M, Al-Slaibi I, Ghithan RJ, Usrof FD, Qawasmi MAM, Okshiya HM, Shurrab NRS, Mahfouz II, Fannon AA, Hawa MRM, Giacaman N, Ahmaro M, Zaatreh RK, AbuKhalil WA, Melhim NK, Madbouh RJ, Hziema HJA, Lahlooh RAA, Ubaiat SN, Jaffal NA, Alawna RK, Abed SN, Abuzahra BNA, Kwaik AJA, Dodin MH, Taha RO, Alashqar DM, Mobarak RAAF, Smerat T, Albarqi SI, Abu-El-Noor N, Bottcher B. Common myths and misconceptions about breast cancer causation among Palestinian women: a national cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health 2023; 23:2370. [PMID: 38031084 PMCID: PMC10688078 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-17074-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The discussion about breast cancer (BC) causation continues to be surrounded by a number of myths and misbeliefs. If efforts are misdirected towards reducing risk from false mythical causes, individuals might be less likely to consider and adopt risk-reducing behaviors for evidence-based BC causes. This national study aimed to assess the awareness of BC causation myths and misbeliefs among Palestinian women, and examine the factors associated with having good awareness. METHODS This national cross-sectional study recruited adult women from government hospitals, primary healthcare centers, and public spaces in 11 governorates in Palestine. A modified version of the Cancer Awareness Measure-Mythical Causes Scale was used to collect data. The level of awareness of BC causation myths was determined based on the number of myths recognized to be incorrect: poor (0-5), fair (6-10), or good (11-15). RESULTS A total of 5,257 questionnaires were included. Only 269 participants (5.1%) demonstrated good awareness (i.e., recognizing more than 10 out of 15 BC mythical causes). There were no notable differences in displaying good awareness between the main areas of Palestine, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank and Jerusalem (5.1% vs. 5.1%). Having chronic disease as well as visiting hospitals and primary healthcare centers were associated with a decrease in the likelihood of displaying good awareness. Myths related to food were less frequently recognized as incorrect than food-unrelated myths. 'Eating burnt food' was the most recognized food-related myth (n = 1414, 26.9%), while 'eating food containing additives' was the least recognized (n = 599, 11.4%). 'Having a physical trauma' was the most recognized food-unrelated myth (n = 2795, 53.2%), whereas the least recognized was 'wearing tight bra' (n = 1018, 19.4%). CONCLUSIONS A very small proportion of Palestinian women could recognize 10 or more myths around BC causation. There is a substantial need to include clear information about BC causation in future educational interventions besides focusing on BC screening, signs and symptoms, and risk factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamedraed Elshami
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, 11100 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.
- Ministry of Health, Gaza, Palestine.
| | | | - Mohammed Alser
- United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Gaza, Palestine
| | | | | | - Faten Darwish Usrof
- Department of a Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Islamic University of Gaza, Gaza City, Palestine
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Manar Ahmaro
- Faculty of Medicine, Al-Quds University, Jerusalem, Palestine
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Nour Ali Jaffal
- Faculty of Medicine, Al-Quds University, Jerusalem, Palestine
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Tasneem Smerat
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Palestine Polytechnic University, Hebron, Palestine
| | | | | | - Bettina Bottcher
- Faculty of Medicine, Islamic University of Gaza, Gaza, Palestine
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Hutten RJ, Weil CR, King AJ, Barney B, Bylund CL, Fagerlin A, Gaffney DK, Gill D, Scherer L, Suneja G, Tward JD, Warner EL, Werner TL, Whipple G, Evans J, Johnson SB. Multi-Institutional Analysis of Cancer Patient Exposure, Perceptions, and Trust in Information Sources Regarding Complementary and Alternative Medicine. JCO Oncol Pract 2023; 19:1000-1008. [PMID: 37722084 DOI: 10.1200/op.23.00179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/20/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use during cancer treatment is controversial. We aim to evaluate contemporary CAM use, patient perceptions and attitudes, and trust in various sources of information regarding CAM. METHODS A multi-institutional questionnaire was distributed to patients receiving cancer treatment. Collected information included respondents' clinical and demographic characteristics, rates of CAM exposure/use, information sources regarding CAM, and trust in each information source. Comparisons between CAM users and nonusers were performed with chi-squared tests and one-way analysis of variance. Multivariable logistic regression models for trust in physician and nonphysician sources of information regarding CAM were evaluated. RESULTS Among 749 respondents, the most common goals of CAM use were management of symptoms (42.2%) and treatment of cancer (30.4%). Most CAM users learned of CAM from nonphysician sources. Of CAM users, 27% reported not discussing CAM with their treating oncologists. Overall trust in physicians was high in both CAM users and nonusers. The only predictor of trust in physician sources of information was income >$100,000 in US dollars per year. Likelihood of trust in nonphysician sources of information was higher in females and lower in those with graduate degrees. CONCLUSION A large proportion of patients with cancer are using CAM, some with the goal of treating their cancer. Although patients are primarily exposed to CAM through nonphysician sources of information, trust in physicians remains high. More research is needed to improve patient-clinician communication regarding CAM use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan J Hutten
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Huntsman Cancer Institute, Salt Lake City, UT
| | - Christopher R Weil
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Huntsman Cancer Institute, Salt Lake City, UT
| | - Andy J King
- Department of Communication, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
- Cancer Control and Population Sciences, Huntsman Cancer Institute, Salt Lake City, UT
| | - Brandon Barney
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Intermountain Cancer Centers, Salt Lake City, UT
| | - Carma L Bylund
- Department of Health Outcomes and Biomedical Informatics, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL
| | - Angela Fagerlin
- Department of Population Health Sciences, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT
- Salt Lake City VA Informatics Decision-Enhancement and Analytic Sciences (IDEAS) Center for Innovation, Salt Lake City, UT
| | - David K Gaffney
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Huntsman Cancer Institute, Salt Lake City, UT
| | - David Gill
- Department of Medical Oncology, Intermountain Cancer Centers, Salt Lake City, UT
| | - Laura Scherer
- Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO
| | - Gita Suneja
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Huntsman Cancer Institute, Salt Lake City, UT
- Department of Population Health Sciences, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT
| | - Jonathan D Tward
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Huntsman Cancer Institute, Salt Lake City, UT
| | - Echo L Warner
- Cancer Control and Population Sciences, Huntsman Cancer Institute, Salt Lake City, UT
- College of Nursing, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
| | - Theresa L Werner
- Department of Medicine, Oncology Division, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
| | - Gary Whipple
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Intermountain Cancer Centers, Salt Lake City, UT
| | - Jaden Evans
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Intermountain Cancer Centers, Salt Lake City, UT
| | - Skyler B Johnson
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Huntsman Cancer Institute, Salt Lake City, UT
- Cancer Control and Population Sciences, Huntsman Cancer Institute, Salt Lake City, UT
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21
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Pan A, Musheyev D, Bockelman D, Loeb S, Kabarriti AE. Assessment of Artificial Intelligence Chatbot Responses to Top Searched Queries About Cancer. JAMA Oncol 2023; 9:1437-1440. [PMID: 37615960 PMCID: PMC10450581 DOI: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2023.2947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Abstract
Importance Consumers are increasingly using artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots as a source of information. However, the quality of the cancer information generated by these chatbots has not yet been evaluated using validated instruments. Objective To characterize the quality of information and presence of misinformation about skin, lung, breast, colorectal, and prostate cancers generated by 4 AI chatbots. Design, Setting, and Participants This cross-sectional study assessed AI chatbots' text responses to the 5 most commonly searched queries related to the 5 most common cancers using validated instruments. Search data were extracted from the publicly available Google Trends platform and identical prompts were used to generate responses from 4 AI chatbots: ChatGPT version 3.5 (OpenAI), Perplexity (Perplexity.AI), Chatsonic (Writesonic), and Bing AI (Microsoft). Exposures Google Trends' top 5 search queries related to skin, lung, breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer from January 1, 2021, to January 1, 2023, were input into 4 AI chatbots. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcomes were the quality of consumer health information based on the validated DISCERN instrument (scores from 1 [low] to 5 [high] for quality of information) and the understandability and actionability of this information based on the understandability and actionability domains of the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT) (scores of 0%-100%, with higher scores indicating a higher level of understandability and actionability). Secondary outcomes included misinformation scored using a 5-item Likert scale (scores from 1 [no misinformation] to 5 [high misinformation]) and readability assessed using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level readability score. Results The analysis included 100 responses from 4 chatbots about the 5 most common search queries for skin, lung, breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer. The quality of text responses generated by the 4 AI chatbots was good (median [range] DISCERN score, 5 [2-5]) and no misinformation was identified. Understandability was moderate (median [range] PEMAT Understandability score, 66.7% [33.3%-90.1%]), and actionability was poor (median [range] PEMAT Actionability score, 20.0% [0%-40.0%]). The responses were written at the college level based on the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level score. Conclusions and Relevance Findings of this cross-sectional study suggest that AI chatbots generally produce accurate information for the top cancer-related search queries, but the responses are not readily actionable and are written at a college reading level. These limitations suggest that AI chatbots should be used supplementarily and not as a primary source for medical information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Pan
- Department of Urology, State University of New York Downstate Health Sciences University, New York
| | - David Musheyev
- Department of Urology, State University of New York Downstate Health Sciences University, New York
| | - Daniel Bockelman
- Department of Urology, State University of New York Downstate Health Sciences University, New York
| | - Stacy Loeb
- Department of Urology, New York University School of Medicine, New York
- Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, New York
- Department of Surgery, VA New York Harbor Health Care, New York
| | - Abdo E. Kabarriti
- Department of Urology, State University of New York Downstate Health Sciences University, New York
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22
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Kureyama N, Terada M, Kusudo M, Nozawa K, Wanifuchi-Endo Y, Fujita T, Asano T, Kato A, Mori M, Horisawa N, Toyama T. Fact-Checking Cancer Information on Social Media in Japan: Retrospective Study Using Twitter. JMIR Form Res 2023; 7:e49452. [PMID: 37672310 PMCID: PMC10512120 DOI: 10.2196/49452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The widespread use of social media has made it easier for patients to access cancer information. However, a large amount of misinformation and harmful information that could negatively impact patients' decision-making is also disseminated on social media platforms. OBJECTIVE We aimed to determine the actual amount of misinformation and harmful information as well as trends in the dissemination of cancer-related information on Twitter, a representative social media platform. Our findings can support decision-making among Japanese patients with cancer. METHODS Using the Twitter app programming interface, we extracted tweets containing the term "cancer" in Japanese that were posted between August and September of 2022. The eligibility criteria were the cancer-related tweets with the following information: (1) reference to the occurrence or prognosis of cancer, (2) recommendation or nonrecommendation of actions, (3) reference to the course of cancer treatment or adverse events, (4) results of cancer research, and (5) other cancer-related knowledge and information. Finally, we selected the top 100 tweets with the highest number of "likes." For each tweet, 2 independent reviewers evaluated whether the information was factual or misinformation, and whether it was harmful or safe with the reasons for the decisions on the misinformation and harmful tweets. Additionally, we examined the frequency of information dissemination using the number of retweets for the top 100 tweets and investigated trends in the dissemination of information. RESULTS The extracted tweets totaled 69,875. Of the top 100 cancer-related tweets with the most "likes" that met the eligibility criteria, 44 (44%) contained misinformation, 31 (31%) contained harmful information, and 30 (30%) contained both misinformation and harmful information. Misinformation was described as Unproven (29/94, 40.4%), Disproven (19/94, 20.2%), Inappropriate application (4/94, 4.3%), Strength of evidence mischaracterized (14/94, 14.9%), Misleading (18/94, 18%), and Other misinformation (1/94, 1.1%). Harmful action was described as Harmful action (9/59, 15.2%), Harmful inaction (43/59, 72.9%), Harmful interactions (3/59, 5.1%), Economic harm (3/59, 5.1%), and Other harmful information (1/59, 1.7%). Harmful information was liked more often than safe information (median 95, IQR 43-1919 vs 75.0 IQR 43-10,747; P=.04). The median number of retweets for the leading 100 tweets was 13.5 (IQR 0-2197). Misinformation was retweeted significantly more often than factual information (median 29.0, IQR 0-502 vs 7.5, IQR 0-2197; P=.01); harmful information was also retweeted significantly more often than safe information (median 35.0, IQR 0-502 vs 8.0, IQR 0-2197; P=.002). CONCLUSIONS It is evident that there is a prevalence of misinformation and harmful information related to cancer on Twitter in Japan and it is crucial to increase health literacy and awareness regarding this issue. Furthermore, we believe that it is important for government agencies and health care professionals to continue providing accurate medical information to support patients and their families in making informed decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nari Kureyama
- Department of Breast Surgery, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, Japan
- Department of Breast Oncology, Aichi Cancer Center Hospital, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Mitsuo Terada
- Department of Breast Surgery, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Maho Kusudo
- Department of Breast Surgery, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, Japan
- Department of Breast Oncology, Aichi Cancer Center Hospital, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Kazuki Nozawa
- Department of Breast Oncology, Aichi Cancer Center Hospital, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Yumi Wanifuchi-Endo
- Department of Breast Surgery, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Takashi Fujita
- Department of Breast Surgery, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Tomoko Asano
- Department of Breast Surgery, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Akiko Kato
- Department of Breast Surgery, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Makiko Mori
- Department of Breast Surgery, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Nanae Horisawa
- Department of Breast Surgery, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Tatsuya Toyama
- Department of Breast Surgery, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, Japan
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23
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Lazard AJ, Nicolla S, Vereen RN, Pendleton S, Charlot M, Tan HJ, DiFranzo D, Pulido M, Dasgupta N. Exposure and Reactions to Cancer Treatment Misinformation and Advice: Survey Study. JMIR Cancer 2023; 9:e43749. [PMID: 37505790 PMCID: PMC10422174 DOI: 10.2196/43749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2022] [Revised: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cancer treatment misinformation, or false claims about alternative cures, often spreads faster and farther than true information on social media. Cancer treatment misinformation can harm the psychosocial and physical health of individuals with cancer and their cancer care networks by causing distress and encouraging people to abandon support, potentially leading to deviations from evidence-based care. There is a pressing need to understand how cancer treatment misinformation is shared and uncover ways to reduce misinformation. OBJECTIVE We aimed to better understand exposure and reactions to cancer treatment misinformation, including the willingness of study participants to prosocially intervene and their intentions to share Instagram posts with cancer treatment misinformation. METHODS We conducted a survey on cancer treatment misinformation among US adults in December 2021. Participants reported their exposure and reactions to cancer treatment misinformation generally (saw or heard, source, type of advice, and curiosity) and specifically on social media (platform, believability). Participants were then randomly assigned to view 1 of 3 cancer treatment misinformation posts or an information post and asked to report their willingness to prosocially intervene and their intentions to share. RESULTS Among US adult participants (N=603; mean age 46, SD 18.83 years), including those with cancer and cancer caregivers, almost 1 in 4 (142/603, 23.5%) received advice about alternative ways to treat or cure cancer. Advice was primarily shared through family (39.4%) and friends (37.3%) for digestive (30.3%) and natural (14.1%) alternative cancer treatments, which generated curiosity among most recipients (106/142, 74.6%). More than half of participants (337/603, 55.9%) saw any cancer treatment misinformation on social media, with significantly higher exposure for those with cancer (53/109, 70.6%) than for those without cancer (89/494, 52.6%; P<.001). Participants saw cancer misinformation on Facebook (39.8%), YouTube (27%), Instagram (22.1%), and TikTok (14.1%), among other platforms. Participants (429/603, 71.1%) thought cancer treatment misinformation was true, at least sometimes, on social media. More than half (357/603, 59.2%) were likely to share any cancer misinformation posts shown. Many participants (412/603, 68.3%) were willing to prosocially intervene for any cancer misinformation posts, including flagging the cancer treatment misinformation posts as false (49.7%-51.4%) or reporting them to the platform (48.1%-51.4%). Among the participants, individuals with cancer and those who identified as Black or Hispanic reported greater willingness to intervene to reduce cancer misinformation but also higher intentions to share misinformation. CONCLUSIONS Cancer treatment misinformation reaches US adults through social media, including on widely used platforms for support. Many believe that social media posts about alternative cancer treatment are true at least some of the time. The willingness of US adults, including those with cancer and members of susceptible populations, to prosocially intervene could initiate the necessary community action to reduce cancer treatment misinformation if coupled with strategies to help individuals discern false claims.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison J Lazard
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Sydney Nicolla
- Hussman School of Journalism and Media, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hll, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Rhyan N Vereen
- Hussman School of Journalism and Media, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hll, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Shanetta Pendleton
- Hussman School of Journalism and Media, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hll, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Marjory Charlot
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Hung-Jui Tan
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
- Department of Urology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Dominic DiFranzo
- P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, United States
| | - Marlyn Pulido
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Nabarun Dasgupta
- Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
- Injury Prevention Research Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
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24
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Marouf A, Tayeb R, Alshehri GD, Fatani HZ, Nassif MO, Farsi AH, Akeel NY, Saleem AM, Samkari AA, Trabulsi NH. Public perception of common cancer misconceptions: A nationwide cross-sectional survey and analysis of over 3500 participants in Saudi Arabia. J Family Med Prim Care 2023; 12:1125-1132. [PMID: 37636192 PMCID: PMC10451599 DOI: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_1753_22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2022] [Revised: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose/Background Patients and healthcare providers use online health information and social media (SM) platforms to seek medical information. As the incidence of cancer rises, the popularity of SM platforms has yielded widespread dissemination of incorrect or misleading information about it. In this study, we aimed to assess public knowledge about incorrect cancer information and how they perceive such information in Saudi Arabia. Methods A nationwide survey was distributed in Saudi Arabia. The survey included questions on demographics, SM platform usage, and common misleading and incorrect cancer information. Results The sample (N = 3509, mean age 28.7 years) consisted of 70% females and 92.6% Saudi nationals. Most participants had no chronic illness. One-third were college graduates and less than one-quarter were unemployed. Conclusions Differences in level of knowledge about cancer emerged in association with different demographic factors. Public trust in health information on SM also led to being misinformed about cancer, independent from educational level and other factors. Efforts should be made to rapidly correct this misinformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azmi Marouf
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Rama Tayeb
- Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ghady D. Alshehri
- Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hana Z. Fatani
- Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammed O. Nassif
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ali H. Farsi
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Nouf Y. Akeel
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdulaziz M. Saleem
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ali A. Samkari
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Nora H. Trabulsi
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
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25
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Zenone M, Snyder J, Bélisle-Pipon JC, Caulfield T, van Schalkwyk M, Maani N. Advertising Alternative Cancer Treatments and Approaches on Meta Social Media Platforms: Content Analysis. JMIR INFODEMIOLOGY 2023; 3:e43548. [PMID: 37256649 DOI: 10.2196/43548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alternative cancer treatment is associated with a greater risk of death than cancer patients undergoing conventional treatments. Anecdotal evidence suggests cancer patients view paid advertisements promoting alternative cancer treatment on social media, but the extent and nature of this advertising remain unknown. This context suggests an urgent need to investigate alternative cancer treatment advertising on social media. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to systematically analyze the advertising activities of prominent alternative cancer treatment practitioners on Meta platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and Audience Network. We specifically sought to determine (1) whether paid advertising for alternative cancer treatment occurs on Meta social media platforms, (2) the strategies and messages of alternative cancer providers to reach and appeal to prospective patients, and (3) how the efficacy of alternative treatments is portrayed. METHODS Between December 6, 2021, and December 12, 2021, we collected active advertisements from alternative cancer clinics using the Meta Ad Library. The information collected included identification number, URL, active/inactive status, dates launched/ran, advertiser page name, and a screenshot (image) or recording (video) of the advertisement. We then conducted a content analysis to determine how alternative cancer providers communicate the claimed benefits of their services and evaluated how they portrayed alternative cancer treatment efficacy. RESULTS We identified 310 paid advertisements from 11 alternative cancer clinics on Meta (Facebook, Instagram, or Messenger) marketing alternative treatment approaches, care, and interventions. Alternative cancer providers appealed to prospective patients through eight strategies: (1) advertiser representation as a legitimate medical provider (n=289, 93.2%); (2) appealing to persons with limited treatments options (n=203, 65.5%); (3) client testimonials (n=168, 54.2%); (4) promoting holistic approaches (n=121, 39%); (5) promoting messages of care (n=81, 26.1%); (6) rhetoric related to science and research (n=72, 23.2%); (7) rhetoric pertaining to the latest technology (n=63, 20.3%); and (8) focusing treatment on cancer origins and cause (n=43, 13.9%). Overall, 25.8% (n=80) of advertisements included a direct statement claiming provider treatment can cure cancer or prolong life. CONCLUSIONS Our results provide evidence alternative cancer providers are using Meta advertising products to market scientifically unsupported cancer treatments. Advertisements regularly referenced "alternative" and "natural" treatment approaches to cancer. Imagery and text content that emulated evidence-based medical providers created the impression that the offered treatments were effective medical options for cancer. Advertisements exploited the hope of patients with terminal and poor prognoses by sharing testimonials of past patients who allegedly were cured or had their lives prolonged. We recommend that Meta introduce a mandatory, human-led authorization process that is not reliant upon artificial intelligence for medical-related advertisers before giving advertising permissions. Further research should focus on the conflict of interest between social media platforms advertising products and public health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Zenone
- Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jeremy Snyder
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | | | | | - May van Schalkwyk
- Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Nason Maani
- Global Health Policy Unit, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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26
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Robbins R, Epstein LJ, Iyer JM, Weaver MD, Javaheri S, Fashanu O, Loeb S, Monten K, Le C, Bertisch SM, Van Den Bulck J, Quan SF. Examining understandability, information quality, and presence of misinformation in popular YouTube videos on sleep compared to expert-led videos. J Clin Sleep Med 2023; 19:991-994. [PMID: 36794333 PMCID: PMC10152351 DOI: 10.5664/jcsm.10520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023]
Abstract
The Internet is a common source of sleep information but may be subject to commercial bias and misinformation. We compared the understandability, information quality, and presence of misinformation of popular YouTube videos on sleep to videos with credible experts. We identified the most popular YouTube videos on sleep/insomnia and 5 videos from experts. Videos were assessed for understanding and clarity using validated instruments. Misinformation and commercial bias were identified by consensus of sleep medicine experts. The most popular videos received, on average, 8.2 (± 2.2) million views; the expert-led videos received, on average, 0.3 (± 0.2) million views. Commercial bias was identified in 66.7% of popular videos and 0% of expert videos (P < .012). The popular videos featured more misinformation than expert videos (P < .001). The popular videos about sleep/insomnia on YouTube featured misinformation and commercial bias. Future research may explore methods for disseminating evidence-based sleep information. CITATION Robbins R, Epstein LJ, Iyer JM, et al. Examining understandability, information quality, and presence of misinformation in popular YouTube videos on sleep compared to expert-led videos. J Clin Sleep Med. 2023;19(5):991-994.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Robbins
- Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Lawrence J. Epstein
- Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Jay M. Iyer
- Departments of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Statistics, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Matthew D. Weaver
- Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Sogol Javaheri
- Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Olabimpe Fashanu
- Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Stacy Loeb
- Department of Urology and Population Health, New York University School of Medicine and Manhattan Veterans Affairs, New York, New York
| | | | - Colin Le
- Departments of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Statistics, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Suzanne M. Bertisch
- Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Jan Van Den Bulck
- Department of Media and Communication, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Stuart F. Quan
- Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
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27
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Shan Y, Ji M, Xing Z, Dong Z, Xu X. Susceptibility to Breast Cancer Misinformation Among Chinese Patients: Cross-sectional Study. JMIR Form Res 2023; 7:e42782. [PMID: 37018020 PMCID: PMC10131805 DOI: 10.2196/42782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2022] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2023] [Indexed: 04/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Currently, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the sixth-leading cause of cancer-related deaths among Chinese women. Worse still, misinformation contributes to the aggravation of the breast cancer burden in China. There is a pressing need to investigate the susceptibility to breast cancer misinformation among Chinese patients. However, no study has been performed in this respect. OBJECTIVE This study aims to ascertain whether some demographics (age, gender, and education), some health literacy skills, and the internal locus of control are significantly associated with the susceptibility to misinformation about all types of breast cancers among randomly sampled Chinese patients of both genders in order to provide insightful implications for clinical practice, health education, medical research, and health policy making. METHODS We first designed a questionnaire comprising 4 sections of information: age, gender, and education (section 1); self-assessed disease knowledge (section 2); the All Aspects of Health Literacy Scale (AAHLS), the eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS), the 6-item General Health Numeracy Test (GHNT-6), and the "Internal" subscale of the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control (MHLC) scales (section 3); and 10 breast cancer myths collected from some officially registered and authenticated websites (section 4). Subsequently, we recruited patients from Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, China, using randomized sampling. The questionnaire was administered via wenjuanxing, the most popular online survey platform in China. The collected data were manipulated in a Microsoft Excel file. We manually checked the validity of each questionnaire using the predefined validity criterion. After that, we coded all valid questionnaires according to the predefined coding scheme, based on Likert scales of different point (score) ranges for different sections of the questionnaire. In the subsequent step, we calculated the sums of the subsections of the AAHLS and the sums of the 2 health literacy scales (the eHEALS and GHNT-6) and the 10 breast cancer myths. Finally, we applied logistic regression modeling to relate the scores in section 4 to the scores in sections 1-3 of the questionnaire to identify what significantly contributes to the susceptibility to breast cancer misinformation among Chinese patients. RESULTS All 447 questionnaires collected were valid according to the validity criterion. The participants were aged 38.29 (SD 11.52) years on average. The mean score for their education was 3.68 (SD 1.46), implying that their average educational attainment was between year 12 and a diploma (junior college). Of the 447 participants, 348 (77.85%) were women. The mean score for their self-assessed disease knowledge was 2.50 (SD 0.92), indicating that their self-assessed disease knowledge status was between "knowing a lot" and "knowing some." The mean scores of the subconstructs in the AAHLS were 6.22 (SD 1.34) for functional health literacy, 5.22 (SD 1.54) for communicative health literacy, and 11.19 (SD 1.99) for critical health literacy. The mean score for eHealth literacy was 24.21 (SD 5.49). The mean score for the 6 questions in the GHNT-6 was 1.57 (SD 0.49), 1.21 (SD 0.41), 1.24 (SD 0.43), 1.90 (SD 0.30), 1.82 (SD 0.39), and 1.73 (SD 0.44), respectively. The mean score for the patients' health beliefs and self-confidence was 21.19 (SD 5.63). The mean score for their response to each myth ranged from 1.24 (SD 0.43) to 1.67 (SD 0.47), and the mean score for responses to the 10 myths was 14.03 (SD 1.78). Through interpreting these descriptive statistics, we found that Chinese female patients' limited ability to rebut breast cancer misinformation is mainly attributed to 5 factors: (1) lower communicative health literacy, (2) certainty about self-assessed eHealth literacy skills, (3) lower general health numeracy, (4) positive self-assessment of general disease knowledge, and (5) more negative health beliefs and lower levels of self-confidence. CONCLUSIONS Drawing on logistic regression modeling, we studied the susceptibility to breast cancer misinformation among Chinese patients. The predicting factors of the susceptibility to breast cancer misinformation identified in this study can provide insightful implications for clinical practice, health education, medical research, and health policy making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Shan
- School of Foreign Studies, Nantong University, Nantong, China
| | - Meng Ji
- School of Languages and Cultures, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Zhaoquan Xing
- Department of Urology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Ji'nan, China
| | - Zhaogang Dong
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Ji'nan, China
| | - Xiaofei Xu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Center for Reproductive Medicine, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Ji'nan, China
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Wang L, Li Y, Gu J, Xiao L. A quality analysis of thyroid cancer videos available on TikTok. Front Public Health 2023; 11:1049728. [PMID: 37033054 PMCID: PMC10076716 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1049728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Thyroid cancer (TC) is becoming an increasing public health problem worldwide. TikTok is a global video-sharing social media app, which can be a source of information on TC. However, the information quality of these videos remains unknown. Methods A search of TikTok was performed with the term ""and "" ("thyroid cancer" and "thyroid neoplasm" in Chinese). Videos included were independently assessed using six predefined questions for content scores and DISCERN scale for information quality, while the video popularity index (VPI) was also calculated. A correlation analysis was performed among duration, presence of animation, VPI, DISCERN scores, and content scores. Results A total of 56 videos were finally included, of which 49 were uploaded by physicians, 4 by health organizations, and 3 by hospitals. While 43 were real content videos, 13 were animated. The mean of DISCERN score and content score was 3.44 ± 0.72 and 5.19 ± 0.95, respectively. Good consistency was found between the two reviewers in terms of both DISCERN scores and content scores. The video duration and presence of animation were positively correlated with VPI, while DISCERN scores and content scores were not correlated with VPI. Conclusion The overall quality of TC-related videos was satisfactory, although the quality varies greatly depending on the type of source. Patients should be cautious when using TikTok as a source of TC-related information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Wang
- College of Humanities, Huzhou University, Huzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yongjin Li
- College of Life Sciences, Huzhou University, Huzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jiali Gu
- College of Life Sciences, Huzhou University, Huzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Li Xiao
- College of Life Sciences, Huzhou University, Huzhou, Zhejiang, China
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Bylund CL, Mullis MD, Alpert J, Markham MJ, Onega T, Fisher CL, Johnson SB. Clinician Communication With Patients About Cancer Misinformation: A Qualitative Study. JCO Oncol Pract 2023; 19:e389-e396. [PMID: 36626708 DOI: 10.1200/op.22.00526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Clinicians regularly face conversations about information that patients have found online. Given the prevalence of misinformation, these conversations can include cancer-related misinformation, which is often harmful. Clinicians are in a key position as trusted sources of information to educate patients. However, there is no research on clinician-patient conversations about cancer-related misinformation. As a first step, the objective of this study was to describe how cancer clinicians report communicating with patients about online cancer misinformation. METHODS We used convenience and snowball sampling to contact 59 cancer clinicians by e-mail. Contacted clinicians predominately worked at academic centers across the United States. Clinicians who agreed participated in semistructured interviews about communication in health care. For this study, we focused specifically on clinicians' experiences discussing online cancer-related misinformation with patients. We conducted a thematic analysis using a constant comparative approach to identify how clinicians address misinformation during clinical visits. RESULTS Twenty-one cancer clinicians participated in the study. Nineteen were physicians, one was a physician assistant, and one was a nurse practitioner. The majority (62%) were female. We identified four themes that describe how cancer clinicians address misinformation: (1) work to understand the misinformation; (2) correct misinformation through education; (3) advise about future online searches, and (4) preserve the clinician-patient relationship. CONCLUSION Our study identified four strategies that clinicians use to address online cancer-related misinformation with their patients. These findings provide a foundation for future research, allowing us to test these strategies in larger samples to examine their effectiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carma L Bylund
- Department of Health Outcomes and Biomedical Informatics, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Michaela D Mullis
- College of Journalism and Communications, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Jordan Alpert
- College of Journalism and Communications, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Merry Jennifer Markham
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Tracy Onega
- Department of Population Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
| | - Carla L Fisher
- College of Journalism and Communications, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Skyler B Johnson
- Department of Radiation Oncology, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
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Drivers of Dietary Choice After a Diagnosis of Colorectal Cancer: A Qualitative Study. J Acad Nutr Diet 2023; 123:407-416. [PMID: 36002111 DOI: 10.1016/j.jand.2022.08.128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Revised: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Dietary changes often accompany management of a cancer diagnosis, but how and why patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) make dietary decisions requires further investigation. OBJECTIVE To learn about patients' food-related beliefs and understand whether and why dietary changes were made by patients starting chemotherapy after a CRC diagnosis. DESIGN A qualitative semi-structured interview study was conducted as a secondary analysis among a subset of patients with stages II-IV CRC enrolled at baseline in a randomized controlled trial. PARTICIPANTS/SETTING Twenty-nine patients participated in the interview. Data were collected at the University of Alberta (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) from 2016-2019 before any trial intervention. QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS Audio-recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim then coded inductively by two research team members. Qualitative content analysis was applied to capture emergent themes. RESULTS Patients reported varied degrees of dietary change that stemmed from internal and external influences. Four main themes emerged to describe patients' dietary decisions after a CRC diagnosis: 1) Medical Influences: eating to live; 2) Health Beliefs: connecting lived experiences with new realities; 3) Static Diets: no changes postdiagnosis; and 4) Navigating External Influences: confluence of personal agency and social constraints. CONCLUSION The extent to which patients altered their dietary choices depended on perspectives and beliefs. These included the degree to which dietary decisions provided some agency (ie, feeling of control) for dealing with physical ramifications of cancer treatment, individuals' personal understandings of healthy foods, and the role of diet in managing their new physical reality postdiagnosis. This information provides registered dietitian nutritionists and health care providers with insight into dietary intentions of select patients being treated for CRC. These findings can guide future research focused on effective strategies for streamlined nutritional support that aligns with patient needs.
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Johnson SB, King AJ, Warner EL, Aneja S, Kann BH, Bylund CL. Using ChatGPT to evaluate cancer myths and misconceptions: artificial intelligence and cancer information. JNCI Cancer Spectr 2023; 7:7078555. [PMID: 36929393 PMCID: PMC10020140 DOI: 10.1093/jncics/pkad015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 72.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Revised: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Data about the quality of cancer information that chatbots and other artificial intelligence systems provide are limited. Here, we evaluate the accuracy of cancer information on ChatGPT compared with the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) answers by using the questions on the "Common Cancer Myths and Misconceptions" web page. The NCI's answers and ChatGPT answers to each question were blinded, and then evaluated for accuracy (accurate: yes vs no). Ratings were evaluated independently for each question, and then compared between the blinded NCI and ChatGPT answers. Additionally, word count and Flesch-Kincaid readability grade level for each individual response were evaluated. Following expert review, the percentage of overall agreement for accuracy was 100% for NCI answers and 96.9% for ChatGPT outputs for questions 1 through 13 (ĸ = ‒0.03, standard error = 0.08). There were few noticeable differences in the number of words or the readability of the answers from NCI or ChatGPT. Overall, the results suggest that ChatGPT provides accurate information about common cancer myths and misconceptions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Skyler B Johnson
- Correspondence to: Skyler B. Johnson, MD, Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Utah Huntsman Cancer Institute, 1950 Circle of Hope Dr, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA (e-mail: )
| | - Andy J King
- Cancer Control and Population Sciences, Huntsman Cancer Institute, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- Department of Communication, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Echo L Warner
- Cancer Control and Population Sciences, Huntsman Cancer Institute, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- College of Nursing, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Sanjay Aneja
- Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Therapeutic Radiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Benjamin H Kann
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Carma L Bylund
- Department of Health Outcomes and Biomedical Informatics, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA
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Modell SM, Ponte AH, Director HR, Pettersen SK, Kardia SLR, Goltz HH. Breast Cancer Prevention Misinformation on Pinterest: One Side of a Thick Coin. Am J Public Health 2023; 113:e1-e2. [PMID: 36791357 PMCID: PMC9932377 DOI: 10.2105/ajph.2022.307203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Stephen M Modell
- Stephen M. Modell and Sharon L. R. Kardia are with the Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor. Amy H. Ponte is with Genedu Health Solutions, Beaufort, SC. Haley R. Director is with the Departments of Health Policy and Management and Human Genetics, University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, PA. Samantha K. Pettersen is with the Association for Molecular Pathology, Rockville, MD. Heather Honoré Goltz is with the Department of Criminal Justice and Social Work, College of Public Service, University of Houston-Downtown, Houston, TX
| | - Amy H Ponte
- Stephen M. Modell and Sharon L. R. Kardia are with the Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor. Amy H. Ponte is with Genedu Health Solutions, Beaufort, SC. Haley R. Director is with the Departments of Health Policy and Management and Human Genetics, University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, PA. Samantha K. Pettersen is with the Association for Molecular Pathology, Rockville, MD. Heather Honoré Goltz is with the Department of Criminal Justice and Social Work, College of Public Service, University of Houston-Downtown, Houston, TX
| | - Haley R Director
- Stephen M. Modell and Sharon L. R. Kardia are with the Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor. Amy H. Ponte is with Genedu Health Solutions, Beaufort, SC. Haley R. Director is with the Departments of Health Policy and Management and Human Genetics, University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, PA. Samantha K. Pettersen is with the Association for Molecular Pathology, Rockville, MD. Heather Honoré Goltz is with the Department of Criminal Justice and Social Work, College of Public Service, University of Houston-Downtown, Houston, TX
| | - Samantha K Pettersen
- Stephen M. Modell and Sharon L. R. Kardia are with the Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor. Amy H. Ponte is with Genedu Health Solutions, Beaufort, SC. Haley R. Director is with the Departments of Health Policy and Management and Human Genetics, University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, PA. Samantha K. Pettersen is with the Association for Molecular Pathology, Rockville, MD. Heather Honoré Goltz is with the Department of Criminal Justice and Social Work, College of Public Service, University of Houston-Downtown, Houston, TX
| | - Sharon L R Kardia
- Stephen M. Modell and Sharon L. R. Kardia are with the Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor. Amy H. Ponte is with Genedu Health Solutions, Beaufort, SC. Haley R. Director is with the Departments of Health Policy and Management and Human Genetics, University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, PA. Samantha K. Pettersen is with the Association for Molecular Pathology, Rockville, MD. Heather Honoré Goltz is with the Department of Criminal Justice and Social Work, College of Public Service, University of Houston-Downtown, Houston, TX
| | - Heather Honoré Goltz
- Stephen M. Modell and Sharon L. R. Kardia are with the Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor. Amy H. Ponte is with Genedu Health Solutions, Beaufort, SC. Haley R. Director is with the Departments of Health Policy and Management and Human Genetics, University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, PA. Samantha K. Pettersen is with the Association for Molecular Pathology, Rockville, MD. Heather Honoré Goltz is with the Department of Criminal Justice and Social Work, College of Public Service, University of Houston-Downtown, Houston, TX
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Buyens G, van Balken M, Oliver K, Price R, Venegoni E, Lawler M, Battisti NML, Van Poppel H. Cancer literacy - Informing patients and implementing shared decision making. J Cancer Policy 2023; 35:100375. [PMID: 36462750 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcpo.2022.100375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
In order to tailor treatment to their needs, cancer patients are encouraged to be more active and engaged in their care decisions and to be autonomous yet collaborative with their healthcare professionals when it comes to aspects of their treatment in order to get better results. However, this can only happen after providing them with accurate information about cancer and the different treatment alternatives and their potential side effects. However, sharing robust data-based information is often hindered by exposure to misleading information through different media and online platform, where patients might come across unscientifically founded health practices. Increasing health literacy and cancer-specific literacy is essential to fight this negative trend. The idea is that more knowledgeable patients will be able to debunk more easily misinformation they encounter. This is also related to inequalities among cancer patients. Not only levels of cancer literacy within Europe are uneven across and within countries, but there are social groups that, due to specific social determinants, are systematically less informed and skilled regarding cancer care. In this paper an overview of gaps in addressing literacy issues, and the importance of health literacy to empower patients in their journey through treatment is delineated, concluding with some recommendations to improve cancer literacy in Europe.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michael van Balken
- European Association of Urology Patient Office (EAU-PO), NL; Rijnstate Hospital, Arnhem, NL
| | | | | | | | - Mark Lawler
- Patrick G. Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen's University Belfast, UK
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Johnson SB, Bylund CL. Identifying Cancer Treatment Misinformation and Strategies to Mitigate Its Effects With Improved Radiation Oncologist-Patient Communication. Pract Radiat Oncol 2023:S1879-8500(23)00033-4. [PMID: 36736620 DOI: 10.1016/j.prro.2023.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2022] [Revised: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Accurate information about cancer treatment is critical for individuals to make informed decisions about their health. Unfortunately, the rise of the Internet and social media combined with patients' desire for autonomy as well as the increased availability and marketing of unproven or disproven therapies has made it easy for misinformation about cancer to spread. This can have grave consequences for patients, as individuals who rely on misinformation may make decisions that put their health at risk, including choosing to forego effective treatment in favor of unproven or disproven therapies. To address these serious issues, it is important to understand what constitutes cancer treatment misinformation and the available mitigation strategies. This knowledge can inform efforts to counteract the spread of cancer treatment misinformation and promote accurate information about cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Skyler B Johnson
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Huntsman Cancer Institute, Salt Lake City, Utah; Cancer Control and Population Sciences, Huntsman Cancer Institute, Salt Lake City, Utah.
| | - Carma L Bylund
- Department of Health Outcomes and Biomedical Informatics, University of Florida College of Medicine, Jacksonville, Florida
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Melhem SJ, Nabhani-Gebara S, Kayyali R. Digital Trends, Digital Literacy, and E-Health Engagement Predictors of Breast and Colorectal Cancer Survivors: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Survey. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:1472. [PMID: 36674237 PMCID: PMC9860554 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20021472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2022] [Revised: 12/30/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Introduction: Advances in information and communication technology (ICT) and post-COVID-19 tectonic changes in healthcare delivery have made it possible for cancer survivors to obtain disease-related information for remote management online rather than through healthcare providers. To comprehend and evaluate health information, digital literacy is crucial. Objectives: This study examined cancer survivors’ information-seeking behaviour, information sources, digital health literacy, and digital trends, as well as potential determinants of e-health information receptivity and online resource use. Methods: A national 30-item cross-sectional survey using a representative random sample of cancer survivors from Jordan’s cancer registry was conducted. Chi-square tests established categorical variable relationships. Using the mean and standard deviation, we calculated the Likert scale’s ordinal data average. A p-value < 0.05 was statistically significant. Logistic regression identified predictors of interest in late-trajectory information acquisition and use of e-health platforms (apps, portals) for cancer self-management. Results: Lower digital literacy and electronic searching were associated with older age and lower income, education, and employment status (p ≤ 0.001). Digital literacy independently predicted m-health app use for remote management and interest in cancer supportive care information. Digitally literate survivors preferred the use of digital platforms (p ≤ 0.001). Information acquisition barriers included “reliability” (26%, n = 25) and “health information trustworthiness” (16.2%, n = 25). Following treatment completion, Internet-seeking behaviour decreased significantly when compared to the early cancer trajectory. Conclusion: Our findings imply that Jordanian cancer survivors’ low digital literacy may hinder information acquisition and technology-enabled cancer care. Digital interventions for cancer survivors should be adaptable to varying levels of digital health literacy. Healthcare policymakers should recognise digital inequities and devise focused initiatives to bridge the digital divide while responding to the urgent need to digitalise cancer care delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samar J. Melhem
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Life Sciences, Pharmacy and Chemistry, Kingston University London, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey KT1 1LQ, UK
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Ferraris G, Monzani D, Coppini V, Conti L, Maria Pizzoli SF, Grasso R, Pravettoni G. Barriers to and facilitators of online health information-seeking behaviours among cancer patients: A systematic review. Digit Health 2023; 9:20552076231210663. [PMID: 38107979 PMCID: PMC10725105 DOI: 10.1177/20552076231210663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective: Disparities in cancer care contribute to higher rates of cancer mortality. Online health information would be a resource for cancer patients to obtain knowledge and make health decisions. However, factors that hinder or facilitate online searching behaviours among patients remain unexplored. The current systematic review aims to identify and synthesise evidence of cancer patients' barriers to and facilitators of online health information-seeking behaviours. Methods: Electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus) were systematically searched, and a total of 123 full-text studies were reviewed of which 24 met the inclusion criteria. Results: Thematic analysis was performed to identify barriers and facilitators of online health information-seeking behaviours. Seven key themes were identified: (1) socio-demographic characteristics (age, gender, education, income, ethnicity and language), (2) psychosocial aspects (psychological wellbeing, need for a face to face contact, motivation, support), (3) accessibility (Internet access, residence), (4) quality and quantity of information (amount, reliability), (5) cancer stage and symptoms (time since diagnosis, experiencing symptoms), (6) aspects related to healthcare professionals (relationship with the patients and opinions on online health information) and (7) digital literacy (computer skills and literacy). Conclusions: Findings underscore the significance of recognising the multifaceted nature of barriers and facilitators affecting cancer patients' online health information-seeking behaviours. A strong link between these factors and cancer patients' ability to make informed decisions and cope effectively with their diagnosis emerged. Consequently, addressing these barriers and leveraging the identified facilitators could lead to improvements in patient-centred care, ultimately contributing to better healthcare services and informed decision-making for cancer patients. Future research should prioritise exploring strategies for enhancing cancer care accessibility across all stakeholders involved. Registration CRD42023408091.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Ferraris
- Applied Research Division for Cognitive and Psychological Science, IEO, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Dario Monzani
- Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement (SPPEFF), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Veronica Coppini
- Applied Research Division for Cognitive and Psychological Science, IEO, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Conti
- Applied Research Division for Cognitive and Psychological Science, IEO, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Silvia Francesca Maria Pizzoli
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
- Faculty of Psychology, Psychology Department, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy
| | - Roberto Grasso
- Applied Research Division for Cognitive and Psychological Science, IEO, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Gabriella Pravettoni
- Applied Research Division for Cognitive and Psychological Science, IEO, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
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Hayakawa M, Watanabe O, Shiga K, Fujishita M, Yamaki C, Ogo Y, Takahashi T, Ikeguchi Y, Takayama T. Exploring types of conversational agents for resolving cancer patients' questions and concerns: Analysis of 100 telephone consultations on breast cancer. PATIENT EDUCATION AND COUNSELING 2023; 106:75-84. [PMID: 36244948 DOI: 10.1016/j.pec.2022.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study was conducted to investigate the types of conversational agents (CA) that can help address questions and concerns ("lay topics" [LTs]). METHODS We analyzed audio recordings of telephone consultations with 100 breast cancer patients and their families. (1) We identified the content and mode of expression of LTs about breast cancer raised during actual telephone consultations. (2) We checked for the presence of clue information (CI) that can help patients resolve their LTs. RESULTS None of the 805 LTs of the 100 callers were the same. Treatment-related questions occurred in 70 of the 100 consultations. CIs were present in 52.5% of the LTs. CONCLUSION The results suggest that chatbots (a type of CA) that offer CIs are more feasible than chatbots that answer each question directly in cancer consultations. Moreover, it is difficult to answer questions directly because preparing answers to all LTs in a breast cancer consultation is challenging owing to LT differences. Therefore, preparing high-quality CIs focused on treatments is required. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS An increasing number of cancer patients are seeking information to resolve their LTs. CAs can help supplement the limited human resources available if they are supplied with appropriate CIs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masayo Hayakawa
- Division of Cancer Information Service, Group for Cancer Control Services, Institute for Cancer Control, National Cancer Center, Tokyo, Japan.
| | - Otome Watanabe
- Division of Cancer Information Service, Group for Cancer Control Services, Institute for Cancer Control, National Cancer Center, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kumiko Shiga
- Division of Cancer Information Service, Group for Cancer Control Services, Institute for Cancer Control, National Cancer Center, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Manami Fujishita
- Center for Cancer Registries, Group for Cancer Control Services, Institute for Cancer Control, National Cancer Center, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Chikako Yamaki
- Division of Cancer Information Service, Group for Cancer Control Services, Institute for Cancer Control, National Cancer Center, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yuko Ogo
- Division of Cancer Information Service, Group for Cancer Control Services, Institute for Cancer Control, National Cancer Center, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tomoko Takahashi
- Division of Cancer Information Service, Group for Cancer Control Services, Institute for Cancer Control, National Cancer Center, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yoshiko Ikeguchi
- Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Science Technology, Bunkyo Gakuin University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tomoko Takayama
- Division of Cancer Information Service, Group for Cancer Control Services, Institute for Cancer Control, National Cancer Center, Tokyo, Japan
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Miller CA, Schroeder MW, Guidry JP, Fuemmeler BF, Pagoto S. Older adults' exposure to and posting of health-related messages on Facebook by chronic health condition status. Digit Health 2023; 9:20552076231203799. [PMID: 37808240 PMCID: PMC10559694 DOI: 10.1177/20552076231203799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective Older adults may be particularly interested in health-related content on Facebook, especially those who have chronic health conditions. The purpose of this study was to compare older adult Facebook users with and without a chronic health condition on their frequency of posting and exposure to health-related content. Methods Participants, recruited via Qualtrics, were regular Facebook users aged 50 + years. Participants were asked separately if they had seen, posted, and shared: Health-related information; about others'/their own health behaviors (e.g., exercise); and about others'/their own medical condition. Six logistic regression models, controlling for demographics and Facebook login frequency, were run to assess whether viewing and/or posting health-related messages differed by chronic health condition status. Results Respondents (N = 697; 77.9% female) were on average 61.2 (SD = 7.9) years old and (n = 625; 89.7%) were White. One-half reported a chronic health condition (n = 351; 50.4%). In adjusted models, those with a chronic health condition had a higher likelihood of seeing posts containing health information (OR = 1.41; 95% CI: 1.04, 1.93) and about others' medical conditions (OR = 1.67; 95% CI: 1.22, 2.27) at least once a month compared to those with no chronic health conditions. People with and without chronic health conditions did not differ in terms of how often they see others' post about health behaviors. Those with a chronic health condition had a higher likelihood of posting or sharing health information (OR = 1.67; 95% CI: 1.22, 2.27), posting about their own health behaviors (OR = 1.55; 95% CI: 1.00, 2.44; p = 0.048), and about their health condition (OR = 1.96; 95% CI: 1.17, 3.27) at least once a month. Conclusion Most older adults on Facebook are exposed to and post multiple forms of health-related content. Therefore, Facebook may be an appropriate channel for conducting health-related communication targeting older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carrie A. Miller
- Family Medicine and Population Health, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
- Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Matthew W. Schroeder
- Indiana University Center for Aging Research, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Regenstrief Institute, Inc., Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Jeanine P.D. Guidry
- Robertson School of Media and Culture, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Bernard F. Fuemmeler
- Family Medicine and Population Health, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
- Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Sherry Pagoto
- Department of Allied Health Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
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Vilaro MJ, McAlindon K, Mertens G, Ashley T, Zalake M, Cooks EJ, Krieger JL. Information Architects: Using Community-Engaged and Qualitative Methods to Design a Technology-Based Nutrition and Cancer Risk Intervention for Rural Adults. Cancer Control 2023; 30:10732748221130162. [PMID: 36919704 PMCID: PMC10017944 DOI: 10.1177/10732748221130162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Revised: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Nearly half of all cancer deaths are preventable through modification or avoidance of key risk factors. As such, there is a growing urgency to identify effective, low-resource, and scalable technologies that support clinical care and patient self-management of health behaviors. PURPOSE Informed by theories of cognitive load and user-centered design approaches, we develop a culturally tailored, multicomponent digital intervention to engage rural adults between 50-73 years old with their personalized nutrition risk factors for colorectal cancer (CRC) prevention. METHOD A total of 48 adults tested a Virtual Health Assistant (VHA) prototype during focus groups in individual think-aloud interviews to facilitate iterative adaptations to a web-based CRC prevention intervention. Qualitative data was analyzed to identify user needs and preferences related to information and with a focus on avoiding cognitive overload. RESULTS The VHA serves as a conceptual pre-training for users helping them understand CRC prevention key concepts and engendering motivation to act on the promoted behavior. A website was identified as a strategy to fill information gaps and present actionable information, after the VHA interaction. Cognitive load reducing strategies were used including segmenting where information is presented in learner-controlled segments rather than continuously. CONCLUSIONS Findings indicate potential benefits of designing CRC prevention information technologies with the rural older adults. Integrating patient-centered needs before launching health information web content will be important as the rapid growth of telemedicine aims to reach traditionally marginalized and underserved populations. Theoretically informed considerations for potential adverse outcomes (eg, information overload) are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa J. Vilaro
- Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Kathryn McAlindon
- STEM Translational Communication Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Gillian Mertens
- STEM Translational Communication Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Taylor Ashley
- STEM Translational Communication Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Mohan Zalake
- Computer & Information Sciences & Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Eric J. Cooks
- STEM Translational Communication Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Janice L. Krieger
- STEM Translational Communication Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
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Simonovic N, Taber JM, Scherr CL, Dean M, Hua J, Howell JL, Chaudhry BM, Wain KE, Politi MC. Uncertainty in healthcare and health decision making: Five methodological and conceptual research recommendations from an interdisciplinary team. J Behav Med 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10865-022-00384-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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Aftab O, Murphy G. A single exposure to cancer misinformation may not significantly affect related behavioural intentions. HRB Open Res 2022. [DOI: 10.12688/hrbopenres.13640.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: In recent years, rates of online cancer misinformation have grown, with many concerned that this could lead patients to alter their daily behaviours or forego conventional treatment. However, no published study has investigated whether exposure to cancer misinformation can affect health behaviours or behavioural intentions. Method: In this preregistered study, participants (N = 774) were exposed to cancer misinformation in the form of news stories before rating their intentions to engage in related behaviours. Each participant was randomly presented with two of four possible false cancer headlines such as “Drinking fluoridated water shown to increase cancer risk by a factor of 3”, before rating their intentions to engage in certain behaviours (such as avoiding fluoridated water). Participants were also randomly assigned to either an accuracy-nudge intervention intended to reduce susceptibility to misinformation or a control condition with no intervention. Results: Viewing the fake cancer headlines did not significantly affect participants’ behavioural intentions – e.g., those who saw the headline regarding fluoridated water were not more likely to report intentions to reduce their fluoridated water intake. The accuracy-nudge intervention did not affect behavioural intentions. Conclusion: Although cancer misinformation is considered a threat to public health, we conclude that once-off exposures to cancer misinformation may not be sufficient to significantly alter behavioural intentions. We note that claims about the effects of cancer misinformation on behaviour have not been adequately researched and we therefore call for more research into the behavioural effects of cancer misinformation exposure, particularly repeated exposure or information passed from trusted sources.
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Liu X, Alsghaier H, Tong L, Ataullah A, McRoy S. Visualizing the Interpretation of a Criteria-Driven System That Automatically Evaluates the Quality of Health News: Exploratory Study of 2 Approaches. JMIR AI 2022; 1:e37751. [PMID: 38875559 PMCID: PMC11041450 DOI: 10.2196/37751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Revised: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Machine learning techniques have been shown to be efficient in identifying health misinformation, but the results may not be trusted unless they can be justified in a way that is understandable. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to provide a new criteria-based system to assess and justify health news quality. Using a subset of an existing set of criteria, this study compared the feasibility of 2 alternative methods for adding interpretability. Both methods used classification and highlighting to visualize sentence-level evidence. METHODS A total of 3 out of 10 well-established criteria were chosen for experimentation, namely whether the health news discussed the costs of the intervention (the cost criterion), explained or quantified the harms of the intervention (the harm criterion), and identified the conflicts of interest (the conflict criterion). The first step of the experiment was to automate the evaluation of the 3 criteria by developing a sentence-level classifier. We tested Logistic Regression, Naive Bayes, Support Vector Machine, and Random Forest algorithms. Next, we compared the 2 visualization approaches. For the first approach, we calculated word feature weights, which explained how classification models distill keywords that contribute to the prediction; then, using the local interpretable model-agnostic explanation framework, we selected keywords associated with the classified criterion at the document level; and finally, the system selected and highlighted sentences with keywords. For the second approach, we extracted sentences that provided evidence to support the evaluation result from 100 health news articles; based on these results, we trained a typology classification model at the sentence level; and then, the system highlighted a positive sentence instance for the result justification. The number of sentences to highlight was determined by a preset threshold empirically determined using the average accuracy. RESULTS The automatic evaluation of health news on the cost, harm, and conflict criteria achieved average area under the curve scores of 0.88, 0.76, and 0.73, respectively, after 50 repetitions of 10-fold cross-validation. We found that both approaches could successfully visualize the interpretation of the system but that the performance of the 2 approaches varied by criterion and highlighting the accuracy decreased as the number of highlighted sentences increased. When the threshold accuracy was ≥75%, this resulted in a visualization with a variable length ranging from 1 to 6 sentences. CONCLUSIONS We provided 2 approaches to interpret criteria-based health news evaluation models tested on 3 criteria. This method incorporated rule-based and statistical machine learning approaches. The results suggested that one might visually interpret an automatic criterion-based health news quality evaluation successfully using either approach; however, larger differences may arise when multiple quality-related criteria are considered. This study can increase public trust in computerized health information evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyu Liu
- Department of Computer Science, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, United States
- School of Health Sciences, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carbondale, IL, United States
| | - Hiba Alsghaier
- Department of Computer Science, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Ling Tong
- Department of Health Informatics and Administration, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Amna Ataullah
- Department of Computer Science, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Susan McRoy
- Department of Computer Science, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, United States
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Content Analysis of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis-related Information on Twitter. ATS Sch 2022; 3:576-587. [PMID: 36726707 PMCID: PMC9886131 DOI: 10.34197/ats-scholar.2022-0054oc] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Information regarding idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) on the internet is often outdated, inaccurate, and potentially harmful. Twitter is a social media platform that allows users to post content in the form of "tweets". Objective We sought to assess the prevalence of inaccurate information regarding IPF on Twitter. We hypothesized that foundations and medical organizations would be the least likely to post inaccurate information and that inaccurate tweets would have higher user engagement. Methods All tweets posted between 2011 and 2019 were gathered using "snscrape" on Python 3.8 while searching for the phrase "idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis". Quantitative analysis was performed to describe trends in IPF-related tweet frequency over time. A subset of tweets made between 2018 and 2019 was screened for verifiable medical statements, which were then analyzed for accuracy compared with contemporary clinical practice guidelines, with descriptive statistics reported. Logistic regression was used to compare tweet accuracy and recommendation of nonindicated therapies across sources, with adjustment for tweet age and character count. Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were used to determine if user engagement (favorites, retweets, and replies) differed between accurate and inaccurate tweets. Results A total of 16,787 tweets were identified between 2011 and 2019. Between 2018 and 2019, 4,861 tweets were included, of which 1,612 (33%) contained verifiable medical statements. Tweets from sources other than foundations or medical organizations were more likely to contain inaccurate information and to recommend nonindicated therapies in both unadjusted and adjusted analyses. News and media sources had the highest odds of communicating potentially harmful information in both adjusted (odds ratio [OR], 12.00; 95% confidence interval [CI], 5.87-27.16) and unadjusted (OR, 11.62; 95% CI, 5.70-26.21) analyses when compared with foundations and medical organizations. Tweets containing inaccurate information had significantly lower numbers of favorites and retweets (P < 0.001 for both). Conclusion Misinformation regarding IPF is present on Twitter and is more often presented by news and media sources. Medically inaccurate tweets displayed less user engagement than accurate tweets. This differs from findings on IPF-related information on YouTube and Facebook, which may reflect differences in both author and consumer qualities across social media platforms.
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Yoon HY, You KH, Kwon JH, Kim JS, Rha SY, Chang YJ, Lee SC. Understanding the Social Mechanism of Cancer Misinformation Spread on YouTube and Lessons Learned: Infodemiological Study. J Med Internet Res 2022; 24:e39571. [PMID: 36374534 PMCID: PMC9699593 DOI: 10.2196/39571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Revised: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background A knowledge gap exists between the list of required actions and the action plan for countering cancer misinformation on social media. Little attention has been paid to a social media strategy for disseminating factual information while also disrupting misinformation on social media networks. Objective The aim of this study was to, first, identify the spread structure of cancer misinformation on YouTube. We asked the question, “How do YouTube videos play an important role in spreading information about the self-administration of anthelmintics for dogs as a cancer medicine for humans?” Second, the study aimed to suggest an action strategy for disrupting misinformation diffusion on YouTube by exploiting the network logic of YouTube information flow and the recommendation system. We asked the question, “What would be a feasible and effective strategy to block cancer misinformation diffusion on YouTube?” Methods The study used the YouTube case of the self-administration of anthelmintics for dogs as an alternative cancer medicine in South Korea. We gathered Korean YouTube videos about the self-administration of fenbendazole. Using the YouTube application programming interface for the query “fenbendazole,” 702 videos from 227 channels were compiled. Then, videos with at least 50,000 views, uploaded between September 2019 and September 2020, were selected from the collection, resulting in 90 videos. Finally, 10 recommended videos for each of the 90 videos were compiled, totaling 573 videos. Social network visualization for the recommended videos was used to identify three intervention strategies for disrupting the YouTube misinformation network. Results The study found evidence of complex contagion by human and machine recommendation systems. By exposing stakeholders to multiple information sources on fenbendazole self-administration and by linking them through a recommendation algorithm, YouTube has become the perfect infrastructure for reinforcing the belief that fenbendazole can cure cancer, despite government warnings about the risks and dangers of self-administration. Conclusions Health authorities should upload pertinent information through multiple channels and should exploit the existing YouTube recommendation algorithm to disrupt the misinformation network. Considering the viewing habits of patients and caregivers, the direct use of YouTube hospital channels is more effective than the indirect use of YouTube news media channels or government channels that report public announcements and statements. Reinforcing through multiple channels is the key.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ho Young Yoon
- Division of Communication and Media, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyung Han You
- Department of Media and Communication Studies, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju, Republic of Korea
| | - Jung Hye Kwon
- Division of Hemato-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chungnam National University Sejong Hospital, Sejong-Si, Republic of Korea
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
- Daejeon Regional Cancer Center, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Jung Sun Kim
- Division of Hemato-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chungnam National University Sejong Hospital, Sejong-Si, Republic of Korea
| | - Sun Young Rha
- Division of Medical Oncology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Yonsei Cancer Center, Yonsei University Health System, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Yoon Jung Chang
- Division of Cancer Control and Policy, National Cancer Center Korea, Department of Cancer Control and Population Health, National Cancer Center Graduate School of Cancer Science and Policy, Goyang, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang-Cheol Lee
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Soonchunhyang University Hospital Cheonan, Cheonan, Republic of Korea
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Ford KL, Orsso CE, Kiss N, Johnson SB, Purcell SA, Gagnon A, Laviano A, Prado CM. Dietary choices following a cancer diagnosis: a narrative review. Nutrition 2022; 103-104:111838. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nut.2022.111838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Li M, Devane D, Beecher C, Duffy AG, Duggan C, Dowling M, Grimes DR, Kennan A, McLoughlin S, Nsangi A, Oxman AD, O’Connor R, Stewart DC, Toomey E, Tierney M. Prioritising Informed Health Choices Key Concepts for those impacted by cancer: a protocol. HRB Open Res 2022; 5:55. [PMID: 37753169 PMCID: PMC10518847 DOI: 10.12688/hrbopenres.13593.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Few areas of health have been as insidiously influenced by misinformation as cancer. Thus, interventions that can help people impacted by cancer reduce the extent to which they are victims of misinformation are necessary. The Informed Health Choices (IHC) initiative has developed Key Concepts that can be used in the development of interventions for evaluating the trustworthiness of claims about the effects of health treatments. We are developing an online education programme called Informed Health Choices-Cancer (IHC-C) based on the IHC Key Concepts. We will provide those impacted by cancer with the knowledge and skills necessary to think critically about the reliability of health information and claims and make informed choices. Methods: We will establish a steering group (SG) of 12 key stakeholders, including oncology specialists and academics. In addition, we will establish a patient and public involvement (PPI) panel of 20 people impacted by cancer. After training the members on the Key Concepts and the prioritisation process, we will conduct a two-round prioritisation process. In the first round, 12 SG members and four PPI panel members will prioritise Key Concepts for inclusion. In the second round, the remaining 16 PPI members will undertake the prioritisation based on the prioritised Key Concepts from the first round. Participants in both rounds will use a structured judgement form to rate the importance of the Key Concepts for inclusion in the online IHC-C programme. A consensus meeting will be held, where members will reach a consensus on the Key Concepts to be included and rank the order in which the prioritised Key Concepts will be addressed in the IHC-C programme. Conclusions: At the end of this process, we will identify which Key Concepts should be included and the order in which they should be addressed in the IHC-C programme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengqi Li
- School of Nursing & Midwifery, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
- Health Research Board - Trials Methodology Research Network (HRB-TMRN), University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Declan Devane
- School of Nursing & Midwifery, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
- Health Research Board - Trials Methodology Research Network (HRB-TMRN), University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
- Evidence Synthesis Ireland and Cochrane Ireland, Galway, Ireland
| | - Claire Beecher
- School of Nursing & Midwifery, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
- Health Research Board - Trials Methodology Research Network (HRB-TMRN), University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
- Evidence Synthesis Ireland and Cochrane Ireland, Galway, Ireland
| | - Austin G. Duffy
- Department of Medical Oncology, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Caitriona Duggan
- School of Nursing & Midwifery, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
- Department of Oncology, Portiuncula University Hospital, Galway, Ireland
| | - Maura Dowling
- School of Nursing & Midwifery, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - David Robert Grimes
- School of Physical Sciences, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland
- Discipline of radiation therapy, Trinity College Dublin, Trinity Centre for Health Sciences, St. James's Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Avril Kennan
- Health Research Charities Ireland (HRCI), Dublin, Ireland
| | - Sarah McLoughlin
- Informed Health Choices-Cancer, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Allen Nsangi
- Department of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Andrew D. Oxman
- Centre for Epidemic Interventions Research, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Derek C. Stewart
- Evidence Synthesis Ireland and Cochrane Ireland, Galway, Ireland
- College of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Elaine Toomey
- School of Allied Health, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland
| | - Marie Tierney
- School of Nursing & Midwifery, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
- Health Research Board - Trials Methodology Research Network (HRB-TMRN), University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
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Bodei L, Herrmann K, Schöder H, Scott AM, Lewis JS. Radiotheranostics in oncology: current challenges and emerging opportunities. Nat Rev Clin Oncol 2022; 19:534-550. [PMID: 35725926 PMCID: PMC10585450 DOI: 10.1038/s41571-022-00652-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 47.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Structural imaging remains an essential component of diagnosis, staging and response assessment in patients with cancer; however, as clinicians increasingly seek to noninvasively investigate tumour phenotypes and evaluate functional and molecular responses to therapy, theranostics - the combination of diagnostic imaging with targeted therapy - is becoming more widely implemented. The field of radiotheranostics, which is the focus of this Review, combines molecular imaging (primarily PET and SPECT) with targeted radionuclide therapy, which involves the use of small molecules, peptides and/or antibodies as carriers for therapeutic radionuclides, typically those emitting α-, β- or auger-radiation. The exponential, global expansion of radiotheranostics in oncology stems from its potential to target and eliminate tumour cells with minimal adverse effects, owing to a mechanism of action that differs distinctly from that of most other systemic therapies. Currently, an enormous opportunity exists to expand the number of patients who can benefit from this technology, to address the urgent needs of many thousands of patients across the world. In this Review, we describe the clinical experience with established radiotheranostics as well as novel areas of research and various barriers to progress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Bodei
- Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medical School, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ken Herrmann
- German Cancer Consortium, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Heiko Schöder
- Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medical School, New York, NY, USA
| | - Andrew M Scott
- Tumour Targeting Laboratory, Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Molecular Imaging and Therapy, Austin Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- School of Cancer Medicine, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jason S Lewis
- Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medical School, New York, NY, USA.
- Molecular Pharmacology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medical School, New York, NY, USA.
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Makhnoon S, Maki KG, Yu R, Peterson SK, Shete S. Are beliefs about the importance of genetics for cancer prevention and early detection associated with high risk cancer genetic testing in the U.S. Population? Prev Med Rep 2022; 27:101781. [PMID: 35378849 PMCID: PMC8976149 DOI: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2022.101781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Revised: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Public attitudes towards germline genetic testing for inherited cancers have been found to be generally positive. Past research demonstrated that diverse causal beliefs and contextual factors are associated with uptake of genetic testing. However, it is unclear how beliefs about genetically informed cancer prevention and early detection ultimately shape testing behaviors. We used data from the National Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS 5 Cycle 4) to evaluate these beliefs and the relationship between beliefs related to cancer genetics and participation in cancer genetic testing. Overall, 5.24% of the total weighted sample underwent cancer genetic testing, of whom 70.5% (n = 141) had no personal history of cancer, whereas others had a personal diagnosis of breast, ovarian, or colorectal cancer (23.0%), or other cancers (6.5%). In adjusted multivariable analysis, testing was positively associated with personal history of breast, ovarian, or colorectal cancer (OR = 28.37, 95% CI: 10.19–79.04), female sex (OR = 2.97, 95% CI: 1.41–6.26), having high cancer worry (OR = 4.78, 95%: 2.19–10.45), and negatively associated with being Hispanic (OR = 0.37, 95%: 0.16–0.86) or non-Hispanic Asian (OR = 0.12, 95% CI: 0.04–0.33). Belief in the importance of genetics for early detection of cancer was associated with testing (OR = 18.03, 95% CI: 4.07–79.79), whereas belief in the importance of genetics for cancer prevention was not. The association between testing and belief about the importance of genetics for early detection of cancer, but not cancer prevention, is a surprising finding that warrants further research. Better understanding of these beliefs and their potential impact on test uptake may inform population genetic testing efforts.
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Teplinsky E, Ponce SB, Drake EK, Garcia AM, Loeb S, van Londen GJ, Teoh D, Thompson M, Schapira L. Online Medical Misinformation in Cancer: Distinguishing Fact From Fiction. JCO Oncol Pract 2022; 18:584-589. [PMID: 35357887 PMCID: PMC9377685 DOI: 10.1200/op.21.00764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
It is without question that the Internet has democratized access to medical information, with estimates that 70% of the American population use it as a resource, particularly for cancer-related information. Such unfettered access to information has led to an increase in health misinformation. Fortunately, the data indicate that health care professionals remain among the most trusted information resources. Therefore, understanding how the Internet has changed engagement with health information and facilitated the spread of misinformation is an important task and challenge for cancer clinicians. In this review, we perform a meta-synthesis of qualitative data and point toward empirical evidence that characterizes misinformation in medicine, specifically in oncology. We present this as a call to action for all clinicians to become more active in ongoing efforts to combat misinformation in oncology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleonora Teplinsky
- Valley-Mount Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Care; Valley Health System, Paramus, NJ
| | - Sara Beltrán Ponce
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
| | - Emily K Drake
- Faculty of Health, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Anna Meredith Garcia
- Section of Medical Oncology, Dagupan Doctors Villaflor Memorial Hospital, Dagupan City, Philippines
| | - Stacy Loeb
- Department of Urology and Population Health, New York University and Manhattan Veterans Affairs, New York, NY
| | - G J van Londen
- Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Deanna Teoh
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
| | | | - Lidia Schapira
- Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA
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Miller TT, Maurer SH, Felker JT. Searching for a cure on Facebook: Patterns of social media use amongst caregivers of children with brain tumors. Cancer Med 2022; 11:3323-3331. [PMID: 35343641 PMCID: PMC9468429 DOI: 10.1002/cam4.4693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Revised: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Social media (SM) is ubiquitous in modern society. How SM provides information, advice, and community to families coping with childhood brain tumors is poorly understood. We sought to understand how caregivers of children with brain tumors use and are affected by SM. METHODS A survey was administered to caregivers of children who were receiving or within the last 5 years received chemotherapy for pediatric brain tumors. Differences in variables across groups were evaluated using nonparametric tests and chi-square tests. RESULTS Thirty-five of 36 caregivers acknowledged use of SM. Facebook was the most used platform (86%). Fifty-eight percent and 47% used SM to read and share information about their child's cancer, respectively. Thirty-four percent were comforted while 40% were bothered by cancer-related information on SM. Eleven participants (31%) sought a second opinion based on information from SM. Caregivers of children with a poor prognosis were more likely to use a treatment from SM that was not initially recommended by their oncologist (p = 0.043). CONCLUSION SM is commonly used by caregivers to obtain and share care-related information. Many noted positive and negative effects of SM on emotional wellness. SM influenced treatment decisions, and this effect was stronger with poorer prognosis. Our results demonstrate the dichotomous impact of SM in medicine-it is a source of both solace and anxiety, a place to confirm treatment decisions and to create doubt in the treatment decisions of the oncologist. This illustrates the importance of discussing SM with caregivers of children with brain tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyler T Miller
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Scott H Maurer
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.,Division of Palliative Medicine and Supportive Care, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - James T Felker
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
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