Know the Science: Finding Health Information on Social Media

How Do People Use Social Media for Health Information?

A recent analysis of the 2019 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) found that approximately 86 percent of internet users engage in at least one of these social media activities for health information:

• Visiting a social networking site (79 percent)

• Watching health-related YouTube videos (41 percent)

• Sharing health information on social networking sites (17 percent)

• Participating in an online support group (9 percent)