44% of patient-facing NHS staff report facing inaccurate information about nutrition every week, with social media a major driver

Research from the World Cancer Research Fund has shown that 44% of patient-facing NHS staff say patients bring them inaccurate or misleading nutrition or supplement information at least once a week.

The charity suggests an increasing mismatch between confidence and understanding in the public, noting that those who rely on social media for news are likelier to both feel confident about finding trustworthy nutrition information online and to believe misleading claims. 

These findings centre around diet, supplements and cancer prevention, but draw attention to pressures on healthcare professionals more widely. Confusing material being readily available online makes it harder for people to make informed health decisions.

Of 1,043 NHS staff surveyed, 6% claim patients present this type of misinformation daily or almost daily, 40% aren’t confident that the nutritional advice they see online is correct, and 37% don’t feel confident about where to find reliable, evidence-based information on supplements specifically.

With these stark statistics, despite healthcare professionals being the public’s most trusted source of nutrition advice, the charity is urging the government to use the NHS Workforce Plan to strengthen support for evidence-based advice on cancer prevention, nutrition and physical activity.

Testing trust

In addition, the World Cancer Research Fund is launching a test called TRUST to help both the public and healthcare professionals spot health misinformation online.

A simple, science-based memory tool, it encourages people to ask:

T – Too good to be true? Does it promise unrealistic results or quick fixes?  

R – Research-backed? Does it trace back to scientific evidence rather than personal stories or opinions?  

U – Understood? Has the person sharing the information understood the dangers and risks, or have they downplayed the harms and promoted unproven remedies over appropriate medical care? 

S – Source quality? Does it come from a trusted organisation or scientific source? What do other experts say? 

T – Think before you share. If it doesn’t pass the TRUST Test, don’t pass it on.

Developed in collaboration with University College London, doctors and the public can access the Trust Test here.

And out of a secondary survey of 2,125 adults, 62% of respondents feel confident that they can find trustworthy nutrition information online. Notably, this rises to 72% among those whose main news source is social network websites.

The same group is likelier to have inaccurate beliefs about cancer prevention and nutrition. Compared to those whose main news source isn’t social media, they’re less likely to identify eating plenty of fibre as a factor to reduce cancer risk (48% vs 55%), but likelier to both think that certain supplements can reduce cancer risk (15% vs 11%) and that certain foods or diets can “starve” cancer (13% vs 7%).

The World Cancer Research Fund worked with YouGov Plc to poll healthcare professionals and the public in separate online surveys in February.

Earlier this month, the World Cancer Research Fund also revealed that following five evidence-based lifestyle recommendations improves long-term outcomes in people with cancer in the UK. These are to be a healthy weight; be physically active; eat wholegrains, vegetables, fruit and beans; limit red and processed meat and limit alcohol consumption.