EVALUATION OF THE QUALITY OF HEALTH INFORMATION SOURCES ON THE INTERNET

The health literacy of a population is associated with the availability and quality of information resources. The present study examines the sources and quality of health information available on the Russian segment of the Internet. Information sources were searched using keywords related to the prevention and treatment of various diseases and the maintenance of optimal health. The study analyzed 200 channels and communities on popular Internet platforms in the Russian Federation, including YouTube, RuTube, VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, and Telegram. A mere 42.0% of the authors of health-related information sources indicated that they had received medical training. A total of 30.0% of the channels and communities included references to sources of information in their publications. Commercial advertising was observed in 29.0% of the sources. In 51.0% of the sources, inaccurate information about the prevention and treatment of various diseases was identified. The prevalence of such information was notably higher in VKontakte (73.3%), Odnoklassniki (86.7%), and YouTube (62.9%) compared to RuTube (4.4%) and Telegram (20.0%), among authors without medical education (54.1%), as well as in communities and channels with commercial advertising integrations in their materials (38.2%). The findings of this study underscore the necessity for the development of effective mechanisms to regulate the quality of health information disseminated online and to enhance the general literacy of users to critically evaluate the available information about the prevention and treatment of various diseases and the maintenance of optimal health.