Assessing dietary supplement misinformation on popular Thai e-marketplaces: A cross-sectional content analysis

Background: The use of dietary supplements (DS) has risen over the past decade, supported by the growth of e-marketplace (EM) platforms as a primary source of product information and purchases. However, these platforms have experienced a surge in health and nutritional misinformation, leading to negative health effects. Objectives: This study explored the characteristics and estimated the prevalence of misinformation on web pages selling DSs on popular Thai EM platforms. Materials and Methods: The prevalence of misinformation was assessed based on Thai regulatory criteria by analyzing DS web pages from two popular Thai EM platforms. In December 2022, 332 web pages were systematically selected for cross-sectional content analysis by identifying the general characteristics of these web pages as viewed by consumers. Misinformation prevalence was estimated by the number of web pages with each type of inappropriate information, using 10 Thai food advertising regulatory criteria. Results: The DS web pages on Thai popular EM platforms exhibited similar content structure, including product navigating function, product description, seller information, past consumer reviews and ratings, and online cart and purchase system functions. Of the 332 web pages, 85% contained at least one misinformation statement. The most common misinformation was unapproved claims on food benefits (82%). 48% contained overclaims of skin or beauty nourishment and weight-loss effects. Moreover, 42% overclaimed misinformation products’ influence on body structure or functions. Misinformation was mostly found in text-based content (63%), image-based content (61%), and video clips (6%). Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of misinformation on DS web pages on two popular Thai EM platforms. The findings underscore the importance and urgency of online misinformation surveillance and the need for Thai regulatory authorities to accelerate the development of monitoring and control mechanisms of online DS marketing on online platforms.