Believers in COVID-19 misinformation more likely to use discredited treatments

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2023-09-30 01:00

International

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People who believe COVID-19 misinformation, distrust western medicine, believe in conspiracy theories, and get their news from sources that have promoted COVID-19 misinformation are the most likely to have used discredited treatments ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine for the disease, say US scientists. They surveyed 13,438 Americans across 50 states, around one in 20 of whom said they'd used ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine. The authors say their findings suggest the potential harms of misinformation extend beyond avoiding health-promoting behaviors such as mask-wearing, to the potentially toxic use of ineffective treatments.

Media release

From: JAMA

Misinformation, Trust, and Use of Ivermectin and Hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19

About The Study: In this 50-state survey study of 13,438 adults who reported probable or definite COVID-19 infection, endorsement of misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic, lack of trust in physicians or scientists, conspiracy-mindedness, and the nature of news sources were associated with receiving non–evidence-based treatment for COVID-19. These results suggest that the potential harms of misinformation may extend to the use of ineffective and potentially toxic treatments in addition to avoidance of health-promoting behaviors.

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Journal/
conference: JAMA Health Forum

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Massachusetts General Hospital, USA

Funder: The survey was supported in part by grant SES-2116645 from the National Science Foundation (Drs Ognyanova, Druckman, and Lazer) and by grant RF1MH132335 from the National Institute of Mental Health (Drs Perlis and Lazer).

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