Online vaccine information in knowledge exchange social websites: Accuracy and predictors

background: California’s recent measles outbreak, a preventable disease declared eradicated in 2000, highlights the importance of the public’s vaccine knowledge. Past research has shown considerable misinformation about vaccines exists online (Kata, 2012) and that misinformation influences perceptions of vaccine risks (Betsch, Renkewitz, Betsch, Ulshöfer, 2010). However, to date little research has been directed towards knowledge exchange social websites (KESWs). These Web 2.0 sites allow users to anonymously solicit and provide medical advice. Because submitted answers are not verified and responders’ qualifications may be falsified, the risks posed by these websites warrants rigorous evaluation.

methods: A KESW was selected on the basis of its popularity, the prevalence of posted vaccine questions, and features enabling the retrieval of questions by country.  Five hundred recent vaccine questions from the U.S. that were marked as resolved (i.e. questions with a selected Best Answer) were retrieved and evaluated for accuracy. Answer characteristics, such as inclusion of citations, were recorded as potential predictors of accuracy.

results: The types of questions asked are categorized by theme (ex: efficacy, side effects, etc). Submitted answers’ overall accuracy and accuracy by theme are presented. Logistic regression modeling will be run to detect predictors of accuracy.

implications: Given online information’s potential influence on the public’s knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to vaccinations, public health strategies and policies for addressing online misinformation are needed. This study serves as a first step by quantifying the extent and nature of misinformation in the under-studied and high-risk setting of KESWs.