Health Misinformation on Social Media and Public Health Outcomes in South East Nigeria

This study examines the circulation of health misinformation on social media platforms in South East Nigeria and its relationship to measurable public health outcomes including vaccine hesitancy, treatment delay, and alternative medicine uptake. Health misinformation is a documented global public health threat, and Nigeria's simultaneous high social media penetration and significant public health challenges create urgent conditions for empirical research in this domain. This study employs a mixed-method design combining a survey of 450 social media users in Anambra, Imo, and Enugu States measuring health misinformation exposure, belief, sharing behaviour, and associated health decisions, with qualitative analysis of health misinformation content circulating in monitored WhatsApp groups over a six-month period. Logistic regression identifies predictors of misinformation belief and health behaviour consequences. Findings reveal that 72 percent of respondents have encountered health misinformation on social media, with COVID-19 vaccines, cancer treatments, and traditional medicine claims as the most prevalent categories. Belief rates are higher for misinformation from trusted personal contacts than for content from unknown sources, confirming interpersonal influence as a critical amplification mechanism. Misinformation exposure is significantly associated with vaccine hesitancy and delay in formal health-seeking behaviour for cancer symptoms. Educational attainment reduces but does not eliminate misinformation belief, indicating general scientific literacy is insufficient for health misinformation resistance. The study contributes original empirical evidence on health misinformation effects in South East Nigeria and recommends health misinformation counter-messaging strategies integrating trusted community messengers rather than institutional-only sources.

Keywords: health misinformation, social media, South East Nigeria, vaccine hesitancy, public health.