JMIR Infodemiology

Opioid overdose has become a global public health emergency, with the United States experiencing particularly high rates of morbidity and mortality due to both prescription and illicit opioid use. Traditional public health monitoring systems often fail to provide real-time insights, limiting their capacity for early detection and intervention. Social media platforms, especially Reddit, offer a promising alternative for timely toxicovigilance due to the abundance of user-generated, real-time content.

The quality of health information on social media is a major concern, especially during the early stages of public health crises. While the quality of the results of the popular search engines related to particular diseases have been analyzed in the literature, the quality of health-related information on social media such as X/Twitter during the early stages of a public health crisis has not been addressed.

The analysis of social networks should be considered by institutions and governments alongside surveys and other conventional methods for assessing public attitudes toward vaccines. X (formerly known as Twitter) has emerged as a significant source for studying vaccine hesitancy.

The advent of robotic total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in the field of orthopedics has caused much discussion on social media. As social media grows, its platforms are becoming an increasingly popular medium for healthcare-related discussions.

Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is a global health concern requiring a risk assessment framework based on systematic factors analysis for prevention and control.

Social media is a prominent way in which health information is spread. The accuracy and credibility of such sources range widely, with misleading statements, misreported results of studies, and a lack of references causing health misinformation to become a growing problem. However, previous research on health misinformation related to topics including vaccines, nutrition, and cancer has excluded physical activity despite it being highly searched for and discussed online.

Cannabis is the third most consumed drug worldwide, with its use linked to a high number of substance use disorders, particularly among young men. Associated mortality causes include traffic accidents and cardiovascular diseases. The global expansion of cannabis legalization has sparked debates about its impact on risk perception, which has decreased in countries with permissive laws. Social media analysis, such as on X, is a useful tool for studying these perceptions and how they vary by geographic region.

Dengue fever has evolved into a matter of significant public health concern. In recent years, short-video platforms such as Douyin have emerged as a prominent medium for the dissemination of health education content. Nevertheless, there is a paucity of research investigating the quality of health education content on Douyin.

Stillbirth, the loss of a fetus after the 20th week of pregnancy, affects about 1 in 160 deliveries in the U.S. and nearly 1 in 70 globally. It profoundly affects parents, often resulting in grief, depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), exacerbated by societal stigma and a lack of public awareness. Yet, no comprehensive analysis has explored social media discussions of stillbirth.

Chronic pain, affecting 30.3% of the global population, constitutes a major public health and social challenge. It is associated with disability, emotional suffering, and diminished quality of life. Conditions such as fibromyalgia, headache, paraplegia, neuropathy, and multiple sclerosis are characterized by persistent pain and limited social and medical understanding. This contributes to patient isolation and increases mental health burden. In recent years, social media—particularly X (formerly Twitter)—has emerged as a key space for analyzing health-related perceptions and experiences. Its massive use, spontaneity, and broad reach have made these platforms a valuable source for infodemiological research.

In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has seen rapid advancements, with innovations such as large language models and generative AI evolving at a rapid pace. While this progress offers tremendous opportunities, it also presents risks, particularly in the creation, consumption, and amplification of information and its impact on population health and health program delivery. Thoughtful approaches are necessary to navigate the consequences of advances in AI for different health care professionals and patient populations and from a policy and governance perspective. Through a collaboration between the World Federation of Public Health Associations working groups, this Viewpoint article brings together perspectives, concerns, and aspirations from young adult professionals across 5 continents and from diverse backgrounds to explore the future of public health and AI in the context of the changing health information environment. Our discussion is divided into 2 parts, specifically examining aspects of disinformation and AI, and also the role of public health and medical professionals in a growing AI-driven health information ecosystem. This Viewpoint concludes with 5 key recommendations on how to potentially address issues such as information and disinformation overload; misinformation propagation; and resultant changes in health practices, research, ethics, and the need for robust policies that can dynamically address current and future challenges.

There has been a recent proliferation of anti-LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning) legislation being proposed in the United States, including more than 500 bills across 42 states in 2024. Many of the studies examining the impact of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation have focused specifically on the association with mental health outcomes.