The idea of “doing your own research” didn't begin with the pandemic, but new research suggests that those who follow that ideology have been more likely to believe COVID misinformation.
“We had heard the phrase a lot before,” prior to the pandemic, said research...
It was a no-brainer for New York City mom Jen L. when a pediatrician suggested that she vaccinate her two sons against human papillomavirus (HPV).
“Before my kids were eligible for the vaccine, I had read up on it to learn about the vaccine and its positives in ge...
About 4.5 million adults in the United States have liver disease. If they're looking for information about their condition, they'd be wise to look beyond TikTok, new research suggests.
About 40% of posts about liver disease on the social media platform are false or misle...
Alarmed by the increasing spread of medical misinformation, 50 U.S. medical and science organizations have announced the formation of a new group that aims to debunk fake health news.
Called the Coalition for Trust in Health & Science, the group brings together reputable...
If you're struggling to find ways to get a good night's sleep, you may not want to use YouTube videos as a resource.
Researchers found what they described as an alarming amount of medical misinformation in YouTube videos about sleep disorders.
"What's tricky is tha...
The EpiPen is a known lifesaver when someone with a serious food allergy eats something they can't tolerate.
Yet the auto-injection treatment is greatly underused in the United States, according to a new survey.
Just over half of at-risk adults said they had ever ...
Need information about hay fever? Steer clear of YouTube, a new study advises.
Researchers found misinformation about allergic rhinitis, the medical name for the disord...
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, but doctors have had access to a screening tool for nearly a decade that can catch it for early treatment.
Unfortunately, neither of those facts has sunk in for many Americans, according to a new sur...
About one-third of cancer nutrition information on the social media site Pinterest is misleading and posted by businesses trying to sell products, according to a new study.
"Our results...
Misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines abounds, and people with depression are more likely than others to fall for it, a new study finds.
One less excuse to avoid that COVID vaccine: The shots don't affect fertility in either men or women, new research shows, but coronavirus infection could cause short-term fertility problems in men.
"Many reproductive-aged individuals have cited concerns about fertility a...
U.S. insurers are paying millions of dollars a year to cover the cost of ivermectin for COVID-19 patients despite a lack of proof the anti-parasitic drug is effective against the virus, a new study finds.
Both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Or...
“Fights off tumors and alleviates symptoms of chemotherapy," one vape's advertising claims, while another is touted as an "asthma remedy, ADHD remedy, and dementia treatment."
Don't believe the hype.
Despite claims that certain vaping products may alleviate healt...
Most people know that sun-sourced vitamin D is good for their bones. So could avoiding the sun to reduce skin cancer risk weaken your bones?
A new study brings a reassuring answer: "Sun-protective" behavior -- wearing long sleeves, seeking shade or using sunscreen -- "wa...
The sale of unproven and unapproved stem cell treatments has skyrocketed in the United States, according to a new five-year study.
The study found a fourfold jump since 2016 in the availability of the treatments, which claim to do everything from relieving pain to slowin...
It's a drug that's been supported by some conservative media figures, but taking ivermectin to treat or prevent COVID-19 might land you in the hospital, a new study warns.
Interest in the drug surged last summer as the highly contagious Delta variant took over the United...
Misinformation and medical mistrust are major drivers of vaccine hesitancy among U.S. Hispanics, new research shows.
The researchers also found that protecting other family members is an important factor in convincing Hispanics to get vaccinated.
The small study in...
Americans who get their COVID-19 news and information solely from Facebook have much lower vaccination rates than the general population.
That's the takeaway from a new survey of nearly 20,700 people across the United States. The researchers asked them in June which of s...
An "astounding" rise in COVID-19 cases in Mississippi is putting intense strain on the state's health care system.
Compared to the first half of July, the number of infections more than doubled in the past two weeks and deaths rose by 51%. In Mississippi, deaths lost to ...
The COVID-19 pandemic upended life in the United States in many ways. Now, a new study confirms another effect: paranoia and belief in conspiracy theories, especially in areas with low adherence to mask mandates.
"Our psychology is massively impacted by the state of the ...
Trusting science is good, but it could put you at risk for being duped by false science, or "pseudoscience," if you let your guard down, researchers warn.
Investigators found that people who trust science are more likely to believe and share false claims that contain sci...
COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among American adults fell by one-third in the first five months of 2021, a new study finds, but distrust of vaccines and the government are still keeping many people from getting vaccinated.
Researchers analyzed data gathered from about 1 mill...
Bots, not individual users, drive much of the COVID-19 misinformation on Facebook, according to a new study.
Bots are large numbers of automated accounts controlled by single users.
"The coronavirus pandemic has sparked what the World Health Organization has called...
Ethan Lindenberger knows what it's like when you have anti-vaxxer parents: At 18, he gained national notoriety when he sought vaccines in defiance of his mother's fervent wishes.
Now, the 20-year-old has some advice for teens facing a similar dilemma posed by the pandemi...
Many health experts hailed the recent approval of the Pfizer vaccine for those aged 12 to 15, but some parents have been hesitant to take their kids in for a shot.
"Parents naturally worry more about their children than they do about themselves -- I think that's parentin...
Studies that can't be verified and may be untrue are much more likely to be cited in the media because they tend to be more interesting, researchers report.
They looked at studies in top psychology, economic and nature/science journals and found that only 39% of...
Contrary to misleading reports spread on social media, a new study finds the COVID-19 vaccine does no damage to the placenta in pregnancy.
In a study of placentas from patients who were vaccinated for COVID-19 during pregnancy, researchers found no evidence of any harm....
More than one-quarter of U.S. parents don't plan to vaccinate their kids for COVID-19, and roughly as many oppose school-required coronavirus shots, a new study finds.
This opposition was more common among moms than dads, and was especially common among white mothers who...
Don't believe everything you hear: A sizable minority of Americans are still hesitant about getting the new COVID-19 vaccine, but their fears are mostly not warranted, a leading vaccine expert says.
"Not only has it been shown to be safe in tens of thousands of people be...
Talking with their doctors may help convince reluctant Americans to get COVID-19 vaccines, evidence from a previous pandemic suggests.
Researchers analyzed responses from more than 19,000 people in the United States who were surveyed during the H1N1 swine flu pandemic in...
In medieval Europe, when childbirth was highly perilous for both mother and child, women and those caring for them used various talismans to try to influence a safe delivery.
Not many of those relics have survived, but scientists have been studying one -- a parchment "bi...
Readers pay attention when social media sites label an article as "unverified" or "suspicious," a new study suggests.
But how an article is presented -- including author credentials and writing style -- doesn't affect readers' views about its credibility.
The findi...
People who are hesitant about getting the COVID-19 vaccine don't have to work hard to find internet rumors and theories that will fuel their fears regarding the vaccine's safety.
That's because anti-vaccine groups and individuals are working overtime to promote frighteni...
As Americans await their COVID-19 shot, a new study of a different vaccine shows the power of Facebook posts in fueling "anti-vax" resistance to immunization.
The study included more than 10 years of public Facebook posts on the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. It fou...
There's a lot of misinformation about vaccines as the United States begins its massive COVID-19 vaccination program, so an expert wants to dispel the many myths about vaccines in general.
Vaccines are among the most heavily studied of all drugs, and the evidence shows th...
A culture of toughness and resilience is encouraged among elite college rowers, but it can keep them from reporting injuries, a new study finds.
There's an overall myth among athletes that admitting pain is a sign of weakness and failure, the researchers said.
...More than one-quarter of popular English-language COVID-19 information videos posted to YouTube are misleading, researchers warn.
There are posts, for example, falsely claiming that drug companies already have a cure for COVID-19, but won't sell it, and that differe...
Whenever societies are placed under stress, conspiracy theories blaming this or that nefarious agent for secretly fomenting the threat inevitably arise.
It's no different during the current coronavirus crisis.
Some of the evidence-free hoaxes circulating no...
Nearly 1 in 5 American adults has mistaken beliefs about vaccines, and misinformation is more common among those who rely on social media than on traditional media, a new study finds.
Researchers surveyed nearly 2,500 adults nationwide in the spring and fall of 2019,...
Even though asthma is common in the United States, there are many misconceptions about the respiratory disease, an allergy/immunology expert says.
"Asthma is a serious condition that affects more than 26 million Americans -- more than 8% of the population," Dr. T...
Mistaken beliefs about sleep are common and pose a significant health threat, a new study warns.
Among these myths: some people only need five hours of sleep; snoring is harmless; a drink before bedtime helps you fall asleep.
"Sleep is a vital part of life ...
Amid growing concern about the safety of e-cigarettes, more American adults now believe vaping is just as dangerous as smoking cigarettes.
Between 2012 and 2017, the number of people who considered e-cigarettes less harmful than tobacco cigarettes dropped significan...
Amid ongoing U.S. measles outbreaks, one of the largest studies to date provides fresh evidence that the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine does not cause autism.
Danish researchers found no link between the MMR vaccine and autism, even when they focused on chi...
People who are sleep-deprived during the week often try to make up for it on weekends. But a new study suggests the tactic may backfire.
Researchers found that weekday sleep loss had negative effects on people's metabolism -- and "catch-up" sleep on the weekend did n...