Wellness influencers outrank doctors on social media, study shows
A new study cited by an Australian oncologist reveals that wellness influencers with large followings vastly outnumber qualified health professionals giving advice on social media. The study found that only 17% of conventional doctors, dentists and nurses are active as health influencers, compared to 31% who are life coaches, 28% who are business owners selling products, and 16% who offer no credentials. Nearly half of US adults under age 50 get health information from such influencers, and two-thirds of Australian teenagers rely on social media for health advice. The oncologist, Dr. Ranjana Srivastava, describes encountering patients who stopped eating red meat, avoided dairy, or adopted juice-only diets based on influencer advice, leading to serious medical consequences. She notes that trust in doctors has not recovered after the pandemic, and that China has banned unqualified influencers from offering health advice. Dr. Srivastava argues that doctors and institutions must engage with the issue rather than dismiss influencers, and that taking time to explain evidence and acknowledge medicine’s limits can help patients.
What’s reported
A large study found that only 17% of conventional doctors, dentists, and nurses are health influencers; 4% of mental health professionals; and 6% of qualified dietitians.
In contrast, 31% of wellness influencers are life coaches, 28% are business owners selling products, and 16% offer no credentials, claiming “lived experience” instead.
Nearly half of US adults under age 50 get health information from wellness influencers.
Two-thirds of Australian teenagers get health information from social media; neither kids nor parents know how to distinguish fact from fiction.
China has banned unqualified influencers from offering health advice.
The article mentions patients who stopped eating red meat, avoided dairy, or used juice-only regimens based on influencer advice.
The author, an oncologist, states that “ivermectin cures cancer” patients are common in oncology.
Open questions
The specific name or details of the large study cited (e.g., publication, sample size, date) are not provided in the article.
Whether any regulatory bodies in the US or Australia have considered similar bans as China is not addressed.
Key figures
Dr. Ranjana Srivastava – Australian oncologist, award-winning author, Fulbright scholar; author of “Every Word Matters: Writing to Engage the Public”.
Sources: The Guardian
