Exploring the relationship between health literacy and attitude to believe fake news about food: a survey among the Italian population
Objectives To examine the correlation between health literacy (HL) and susceptibility to food-related fake news, and to explore the role of social media and influencers in shaping consumers’ food choices.Design Cross-sectional survey conducted via an online questionnaire.Setting Nine community pharm...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMJ Publishing Group
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| Series: | BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health |
| Online Access: | https://nutrition.bmj.com/content/early/2025/08/12/bmjnph-2025-001231.full |
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| author | Guglielmo Bonaccorsi Rosa Prato Francesca Fortunato Pier Luigi Lopalco Valeria Gabellone Fabiana Nuccetelli |
| author_facet | Guglielmo Bonaccorsi Rosa Prato Francesca Fortunato Pier Luigi Lopalco Valeria Gabellone Fabiana Nuccetelli |
| author_sort | Guglielmo Bonaccorsi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objectives To examine the correlation between health literacy (HL) and susceptibility to food-related fake news, and to explore the role of social media and influencers in shaping consumers’ food choices.Design Cross-sectional survey conducted via an online questionnaire.Setting Nine community pharmacies located in northern, central and southern Italy.Participants A total of 2284 consumers recruited between January and March 2024.Results Lower HL levels were significantly associated with poorer self-reported education, health and economic status, as well as precarious employment. These same variables were linked to a higher likelihood of believing and spreading food-related fake news. Individuals from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds were also more likely to trust influencers who influenced their food choices.Conclusions HL plays a key role in reducing the susceptibility to food-related misinformation, particularly in lower socioeconomic groups. Targeted interventions aimed at improving HL may help mitigate the spread of fake news and empower individuals to make healthier food choices. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7df0ba1027d942249bc75fba9db9546f |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2516-5542 |
| language | English |
| publisher | BMJ Publishing Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-7df0ba1027d942249bc75fba9db9546f2025-08-20T03:36:26ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health2516-554210.1136/bmjnph-2025-001231Exploring the relationship between health literacy and attitude to believe fake news about food: a survey among the Italian populationGuglielmo Bonaccorsi0Rosa Prato1Francesca Fortunato2Pier Luigi Lopalco3Valeria Gabellone4Fabiana Nuccetelli5Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence, Florence, Italy1 Policlinico Riuniti Foggia Hospital, Hygiene Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy2 Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy4 Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technology, University of Salento, Lecce, ItalyUniversity of Salento, Lecce, ItalyUniversity of Salento, Lecce, ItalyObjectives To examine the correlation between health literacy (HL) and susceptibility to food-related fake news, and to explore the role of social media and influencers in shaping consumers’ food choices.Design Cross-sectional survey conducted via an online questionnaire.Setting Nine community pharmacies located in northern, central and southern Italy.Participants A total of 2284 consumers recruited between January and March 2024.Results Lower HL levels were significantly associated with poorer self-reported education, health and economic status, as well as precarious employment. These same variables were linked to a higher likelihood of believing and spreading food-related fake news. Individuals from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds were also more likely to trust influencers who influenced their food choices.Conclusions HL plays a key role in reducing the susceptibility to food-related misinformation, particularly in lower socioeconomic groups. Targeted interventions aimed at improving HL may help mitigate the spread of fake news and empower individuals to make healthier food choices.https://nutrition.bmj.com/content/early/2025/08/12/bmjnph-2025-001231.full |
| spellingShingle | Guglielmo Bonaccorsi Rosa Prato Francesca Fortunato Pier Luigi Lopalco Valeria Gabellone Fabiana Nuccetelli Exploring the relationship between health literacy and attitude to believe fake news about food: a survey among the Italian population BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health |
| title | Exploring the relationship between health literacy and attitude to believe fake news about food: a survey among the Italian population |
| title_full | Exploring the relationship between health literacy and attitude to believe fake news about food: a survey among the Italian population |
| title_fullStr | Exploring the relationship between health literacy and attitude to believe fake news about food: a survey among the Italian population |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring the relationship between health literacy and attitude to believe fake news about food: a survey among the Italian population |
| title_short | Exploring the relationship between health literacy and attitude to believe fake news about food: a survey among the Italian population |
| title_sort | exploring the relationship between health literacy and attitude to believe fake news about food a survey among the italian population |
| url | https://nutrition.bmj.com/content/early/2025/08/12/bmjnph-2025-001231.full |
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