The Great Smoky Mountain Journal
Source:
Posted: Tuesday, January 01, 2019 02:36 PM
Knox County Health Department Announces New Public Health Campaign Called "Webidemic"
According to KCHD, unfounded claims about infectious diseases, fad diets, products, unhealthy or ineffective treatments have traveled through the internet and have confused consumers of the information.
"One of our key priorities is making sure everyone in our community has the knowledge they need to make informed decisions about their health,” KCHD Director Dr. Martha Buchanan said. “In the past several years especially, we’ve found ourselves addressing misinformation on a near daily basis, whether it’s in the community, working with the media, our patients or on social media.”
KCHD cited the Pew Research Center, which found that the majority of Americans use the internet for health information, and about 75 percent of folks who look for that information do not consistently check the source and date of what they find.
The new campaign will utilize an online guide for the public that provides tips, examples and resources for identifying common red flags and bias, as well as helps consumers find the right experts, along with local and free resources. Each month through 2018, KCHD will feature different themes and subject matter experts as part of the initiative.
“Our hope is that Webidemic will be another set of tools in the community’s toolbox to help combat this issue,” KCHD Community Relations Director Katharine Killen said. “Since health misinformation isn’t likely to vanish from the internet, it’s important for all of us to develop a healthy sense of skepticism, be aware of our own biases, know how to find quality sources, and, above all, work with health care providers to make informed decisions.”