Wellness influencers dominate health advice, study finds fewer than 1 in 5 doctors
An Australian oncologist has written about the growing influence of wellness influencers on social media and the challenges this poses for medical professionals. In a commentary, she recounts patients who have stopped eating red meat because they saw on Instagram that it “dilutes my chemo,” as well as patients following juice-only or dairy-free regimens. She cites a large study that found only 17% of wellness influencers are conventional doctors, dentists or nurses, while life coaches (31%) and business owners (28%) dominate. Nearly 7,000 influencers with more than 100,000 followers were analyzed, and nearly one in ten had more than a million followers. She notes that half of US adults under 50 and two-thirds of Australian teenagers get health information from wellness influencers. China has banned unqualified influencers from offering health advice. The author argues that doctors should engage with patients rather than dismiss influencers, as trust in doctors has not recovered after the pandemic.
What’s reported
The author, an oncologist, treated a malnourished anemic patient who stopped eating red meat because they believed it would “dilute my chemo” based on Instagram advice.
Another patient forsook all dairy; another followed a “hand-squeezed juice only” regimen that led to uncontrolled blood sugars.
Ivermectin as a “cancer cure” is a recurring topic among patients, according to the author.
A recent study found that among wellness influencers, conventional doctors, dentists and nurses make up only 17%, mental health professionals 4%, and qualified dietitians 6%.
Life coaches make up 31% of wellness influencers; business owners 28%; and 16% offer no credentials, citing “lived experience” instead.
The study analyzed nearly 7,000 influencers, all with more than 100,000 followers; nearly one in ten had more than one million followers.
Half of US adults under age 50 get health information from wellness influencers.
Two-thirds of Australian teenagers get health information from social media.
China has banned unqualified influencers from offering health advice.
The author states that trust in doctors has not recovered after the pandemic.
Key figures
Ranjana Srivastava – Australian oncologist, author, Fulbright scholar (writer of the commentary)
Sources: The Guardian
