JMIR Infodemiology

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.

Cyber victimization exposes individuals to numerous risks. Developmental and psychological factors may leave some users unaware of the potential dangers, increasing their susceptibility to psychological distress. Despite this vulnerability, methods for identifying those at risk of cyber victimization within healthcare settings are limited, as is research that explores their experiences of cyber victimization. The purpose of this study was to analyze how users describe experiences of cyber victimization on the social media platform Reddit using data mining.

By increasing exposure to drug-related advertisements, the illicit digital drug trade promotes drug normalization and eases access to substances, increasing the likelihood of initiation. Social media platforms play an increasingly important role in facilitating the online substance trade by leveraging encrypted communications and user-friendly interfaces to advertise a large variety of readily available substances. Despite its growing importance, there is a paucity of research conducted in Thailand that aims to determine the types of substances, marketing strategies, and public health risks linked to drugs advertised on social media.

The internet and social media have been considered useful platforms for obtaining health information. However, critical and erroneous content about vaccines on social media has been associated with vaccination delays and refusal.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major global health issue heavily influenced by human behaviour. Effective communication and awareness-raising are crucial in curbing AMR, with social network sites (SNSs) significantly shaping health behaviours. Despite their potential, current analyses of AMR on SNSs have focused mainly on top-down communication initiatives.

Prevalence of and spread of misinformation are a concern for the exacerbation of vaccine hesitancy and a resulting reduction in vaccine intent. However, few studies have focused on how vaccine misinformation diffuses online, who is responsible for the diffusion, and the mechanisms by which that happens. In addition, researchers have rarely investigated this in non-western contexts particularly vulnerable to misinformation.

Misinformation on social media during natural disasters has become a significant challenge, with the potential to increase public confusion, panic, and distrust. Although individuals rely on social media platforms for timely updates during crises, these platforms also facilitate the rapid spread of unverified and misleading information. Consequently, misinformation can hamper emergency response efforts, misdirect resources, and distort public perception of the disaster’s true severity.

User demographics are often hidden in social media data due to privacy concerns. However, demographic information on substance use (SU) can provide valuable insights, allowing public health policy makers to focus on specific cohorts and develop efficient prevention strategies, especially during global crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in the popularity and use of glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) for weight loss. As such, it is essential to understand users’ real-world discussions of short-term, long-term, and co-occurrent adverse events associated with currently used GLP-1 RAs medications.

Stroke has become a leading cause of death and disability worldwide, resulting in a significant loss of healthy life years and imposing a considerable economic burden on patients and their families and caregivers. However, despite being an emerging source of information, the credibility and quality of online videos related to stroke prevention education, especially those in Chinese, remain unclear.