Quality and accuracy of HIV/AIDS information in knowledge exchange social websites

Background: Despite the widespread prevalence of online health information–seeking behaviors (HISBs), the quality and accuracy of many online health information sources have yet to be assessed. This is of particular concern among knowledge exchange social websites (KESWs), in which users can solicit medical advice from other anonymous website users. As KESWs provide an environment in which submitted answers are not verified and responders’ qualifications may be falsified, the potential and risks of these websites warrants rigorous evaluation. Given the widespread misconceptions and social stigma associated with HIV/AIDS, this topic provides an ideal venue for examining the potential risks of the medical advice dispensed via KESWs.

Method:  A KESW was selected based on its popularity, the prevalence of HIV/AIDS questions posted, and features enabling the retrieval of questions by country.  Recent HIV/AIDS questions from the U.S. that were marked as resolved (i.e. questions with a selected Best Answer) were retrieved from the KESW, evaluated for accuracy, and characterized along several dimensions (ex: length of response, presence of citation).

Results:  Questions are categorized by HIV/AIDS theme (ex: transmission, treatment, symptoms). Overall accuracy and accuracy by theme will be computed. Logistic regression modeling will be run to detect predictors of accuracy.

Implications: Given the potential influence of health information and misinformation on internet users’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors, quantifying the characteristics of KESWs helps to inform public health policy and discourse.