Leveraging inoculation theory to combat the spread of health misinformation

Health misinformation is a growing problem in today’s world, reflecting an increasingly polarizing discourse in social and news media as well as declining trust in institutions. It is a particularly concerning issue in public health, where its effects can range from individually damaging to disastrous on a population level. In this article, we present and investigate one approach for addressing health misinformation—inoculation strategies—focusing specifically on tobacco marketing, which frequently uses suggestive descriptors that imply reduced harm. We theorized that inoculation strategies, that is, exposing people to weakened versions of opposing arguments to make them more resistant to persuasion or influence, can prevent misperceptions about a topic while preserving accurate favorable beliefs. We found that inoculation messages generally prevented lower-harm misperceptions without affecting lower-addictiveness beliefs for reduced nicotine content cigarettes or opinions about other modified risk tobacco products. We also found that information about prior industry deception promoted industry skepticism. These findings expand the evidentiary base for inoculating against misinformation, exploring strategies for nuanced communication of potentially competing messages. They also can inform policy and messaging strategies for health campaign designers and tobacco regulators.