Sweet infodemic: assessing the quality and reliability of type 2 diabetes information on Instagram

Background: Social media is capable of changing people’s health habits. Nevertheless, its content is not regulated and could promote the spread of false information. Therefore, this study aims to describe and analyze the quality and reliability of type 2 diabetes mellitus-related information on Instagram posts. Specifically, we strive to examine the association between different post’s authors and the quality and reliability of said information. In addition, we intend to explore how engagement metrics, such as likes, relate to the content’s veracity. Methods: This cross-sectional and observational study reviewed posts from the social media platform Instagram on type 2 diabetes in Mexico in English or Spanish language, over 7 days. Three hashtags (#diabetes, #diabetesawareness, #diabetestipo2) were analyzed, with the top ten posts per hashtag per day selected. Posts were categorized as “true,” “false,” or “not determined” according to the American Diabetes Association’s Standards of Care in Diabetes. Post reliability was assessed using the mDISCERN score, and quality was measured using the Global Quality Score. Results: Two hundred and ten posts were included, consisting of 176 (84%) images and 34 (16%) videos. The types of user account posting were grouped (healthcare professionals, dietitians, industry, support groups, or others). Dietitians were the most common poster group (n = 69), with diet being the most frequently discussed topic (43.8%). The median reliability was low (mDISCERN: 2.0, IQR: 2.0), and quality was moderate (GQS: 3.0, IQR: 2.0). When comparing groups, healthcare professionals had the highest reliability scores, while industry posts had the highest quality scores. Overall, 73.8% of posts were “true,” 18.6% “false,” and 7.6% “not determined.” False posts had significantly more likes (p = 0.03). Conclusions: This study highlights the low quality and reliability of type 2 diabetes information on Instagram, emphasizing the need for improved patient health literacy and potential social media content regulation.