Vaccine hesitancy (VH) remains an ongoing challenge in French society. This project explored how institutional trust and preference for information via social media (PISM) drive hesitancy. Across a large, nationally represented population, our findings show that PISM and trust are strongly correlated measures, with both independently predicting VH. Subsequent mediation tests show that social media operates as primarily an indirect contributor to VH through trust. Additional tests involving VH and non-VH typologies revealed that institutional trust consistently predicts greater general support for vaccines and reduced distrust in vaccination. Conversely, PISM directly drives vaccine distrust, with its impact on non-hesitancy fully mediated by institutional trust. Overall, these findings point to the relevance for researchers and public health deciders to address the nature by which people utilize social media information resources and how that interacts with levels of trust for national institutions.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the indirect effects of nutritional knowledge and attitude toward food label use on food label use through self-efficacy and trust, as well as whether gender moderates this relationship. Design/methodology/approach: A sample of Indian adults with multiple chronic conditions was surveyed about their nutritional knowledge, attitude, self-efficacy and use of food labels. Hypotheses were tested using Hayes’s (2013) PROCESS macro for SPSS. Findings: The results show that nutritional knowledge and attitude toward food label use positively predict food label use through self-efficacy and trust. However, these mediation effects are moderated by gender such that the indirect relationship is stronger among men than women. Practical implications: Food marketers and government agencies engaged in nutrition education campaigns should aim to increase patients’ confidence in comprehending food label information. Social implications: Since food labels can be a valuable tool to help patients with chronic diseases to make informed decisions about their diet and lifestyle, regulators may consider mandating nutritional labels on foods to help them improve their food or dietary choices. Originality/value: This study uniquely applies Fisher and Fisher’s (1992) information–motivation–behavioral skills model as a theoretical framework to examine the influence of nutrition knowledge and attitude toward food label use on food label usage of Indian patients with multiple chronic diseases.

Prior research underscores a need for applying theoretical frameworks to understand the factors influencing diverse populations’ organic food purchase intentions. The objectives of this study are threefold. First, we evaluate the applicability of the information–motivation–behavioral skills model for predicting organic food purchase intention in adults with chronic conditions. Second, we examine the indirect effects of organic food knowledge, attitudes toward organic food purchase, and subjective norms on purchase intention through self-efficacy. Third, we examine whether these indirect effects are moderated by gender and educational attainment. Data were collected from Indian adults with chronic conditions using a self-administered questionnaire. The results show significant indirect effects of organic food knowledge, attitude toward organic food purchase, and subjective norms on organic food purchase intention through self-efficacy. Moreover, the mediating effect of knowledge was moderated by gender and educational attainment, with the effect being stronger for females and among individuals with a lower level of education. Organic food marketers, social marketers, and public health agencies promoting organic food consumption to people with chronic conditions should aim to increase their confidence in comprehending organic food. This study contributes to the literature by assessing the applicability of the information–motivation–behavioral skills model in understanding behavioral intentions toward organic food.

Persuasion research highlights the central role emotions play in driving persuasion processes. This investigation addressed the influence of message factors and risk perceptions in determining how positive and negative emotions predict judgments of healthy eating messages. Consistent with prior research, gain-framed messages induced greater positive emotions, whereas loss-framed messages induced greater negative emotions; however, the target of these message frames – self-focused consequences vs. relational-focused consequences – failed to moderate effects. Results also indicated that positive emotion predicted more favorable message judgments, whereas negative emotion predicted less favorable message judgments. Perceived obesity risk contributed to the relationship between emotion and message judgments. Specifically, through negative emotions, risk indirectly predicted less favorable message judgments.

This special issue "Health Misinformation: Examining Its Presence and Impact across Communication Contexts" explores the global prevalence and impact of health misinformation highlighting the challenges faced by health care entities and opportunities to address this dilemma. The ten articles selected present diverse findings across various cultural, social, and political contexts. Three of these articles examine user discernment of accurate health information. In Wei et als' investigation "Factors influencing user's health information discernment abilities in online health communities: based on SEM and fsQCA" presents a unique model to address how personal judgments linked to online health communities drive the ability to 'discern' accurate health information. The findings from this analysis offer critical theoretical and practical implications for health information seeking in this digital environment. Peng, Meng, and Ling's experimental research, "The Media Literacy Dilemma: Can ChatGPT Facilitate the Discernment of Online Health Misinformation?" compares ChatGPT to other media literacy tools in aiding individual efforts to identify true versus false health content (Peng et al.). The findings suggest that there are significant limitations to ChatGPT utility as a misinformation detection resource. Li, Chen, Zhao, Yang, and Wang's large-scale survey of Chinese citizens during the height of Covid-19, "Covid-19 Vaccine-Related Misinformation Identification among Chinese Residents during a Regional Outbreak" provides a unique perspective on the role of information source judgments and geographical differences that drive COVID-19 misinformation detection skills. Three of our other special issue selections explore concerns over user-generated health misinformation. Humprecht and Kessler's study "Unveiling misinformation on YouTube: examining the content of COVID-19 vaccination misinformation videos in Switzerland" highlights one case of the infodemic proliferating during COVID-19 (Islam et al., 2020). By identifying leading Swiss figures posting false vaccine information on YouTube, the authors provide a quantitative assessment of the prevalent misinformation strategies, including commercialization and emotionalization. Furthermore, many of the videos intersperse false information with scientific evidence, thereby increasing user engagement. Zhao, Yao, Sui, and Zhao investigation of short online videos providing lung cancer information to Chinese adults -"Current status of short video as a source of information on lung cancer: a cross-sectional content analysis study"analyzes the educational value of these non-traditional information sources. Results of this analysis raise questions on the validity of user-generated content, highlighting the importance of source expertise. Skarzauskiene, Maciuliene, Dirzyte, and Guleviciute's project, "Profiling antivaccination channels in Telegram: Early efforts in detecting misinformation" address the troubling aspects of vaccine-related misinformation on Telegram as well tools to identify malicious content. The findings reveal important insights into how misinformation actors frame health crises, manipulate online conversations (i.e., testimonial strategies), and emotionally-driven language.Bates et al. article "Navigating misinformation and political polarization of COVID-19: interviews with Milwaukee, Wisconsin county public health officials" provides an in-depth examination of the misinformation challenges faced by U.S. public health officials during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The insights shared by these public health professionals offers lessons on attempts to combat both media misinformation and political polarization when trying to implement preventative health measures.Pjesivac, Klein, Zhao, Lu, and Jin's study "Examining conspiracy theory spillover in health communication arena: Factors that impact COVID-19 conspiratorial beliefs and healthrelated behaviors" indicates that general conspiracy beliefs drive more specific acceptance of COVID-19 related conspiracies. Examining the ramifications of this relationship through a sequential process, the researchers show that embracing general conspiracy theories indirectly contributes to less COVID-19-specific avoidance behavior by driving acceptance of COVID-19 conspiracy theories.Finally, two systematic reviews are included in this special issue. Bhattacharya and Singh's research, Unravelling the Infodemic: A Systematic Review of Misinformation Dynamics During the COVID-19 Pandemic provide a comprehensive analysis of information gaps emerging during COVID-19. The research offers key analysis of technical, social and psychological factors facilitating the spread of COVID-19 misinformation. Furthermore, the authors provide a critical assessment of the effectiveness/limits of government regulation and public education in minimizing this infodemic. Godwin Alfred, Catalan-Matamoros, and Elias's systematic review, Drivers of vaccine mis/disinformation in the media: From personal beliefs to cultural dimensions differentiate between demand and supply side dynamics in mediated false vaccine information. The project highlights the influence of cultural dimensions (individualistic vs. collectivistic societies) in determining the main drivers of vaccine misinformation.Overall, these ten articles reflect the scope of global health misinformation across health contexts and modalities. As information tools become increasingly sophisticated, personalized, and accessible, the insights from this special issue can provide guidance to public health initiatives aimed at better educating and empowering citizens to make responsible health decisions.