Why online health searches leave parents overwhelmed

If you've ever searched online for answers about your child's health and you've ended up with more questions than you started with, you are not alone. Yes, a new national survey shows 71% of parents and caregivers are feeling overwhelmed by conflicting health information and joining us now is Dr. Avenel Joseph, Vice President of Policy at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Good morning and thank you so much for coming on with us. Good morning and thanks for having me. You know, sometimes as parents we're looking for the answers, we don't have them. When is it okay to ask like ChatGPT or even maybe Google, when should you contact your doctor? You should always contact your doctor. Parents shouldn't have to be scientists to keep their kids healthy. Our medical professionals, our pediatricians, they know the unique circumstances of your child, their lifestyle and what's appropriate and necessary for them. So they're the best person to contact about information related to your child's health. There is a lot of confusing information out on the internet, whether it's ChatGPT, social media, statements that have come up in traditional media. It's a lot to sort through. I am part of that 71%. I, as a scientist and mother of three, often find myself confused about what is true and real and appropriate for my family. Important to know, the guardrails of science and data have actually not changed when it comes to vaccination schedule for children, for getting vaccinations for things like measles, mumps, rubella, polio. The science is still very strong to show that they are safe and effective. I think what has changed is that the institutions that we used to rely on as families and as parents to translate that information into guidance has lost people's trust. I do think it's important though that we question things, even if they've been, they've been the way they are for a long time. I think that's important. I think that COVID taught us that, that we can ask questions just as everyday citizens, even if we don't have a medical degree. Is there an online source that people can trust? And I'm talking about things like maybe the Mayo, you find a response to a question from the Mayo Clinic or from the CDC or from your local public health department. Are those trusted sources? The local public health department typically is a very trusted source for what's happening in your community. But over the last few years, public health departments across the country have been largely defunded or underfunded, which makes their operations a lot less robust, a lot less robust. There are organizations that are credible organizations that have existed for decades that are based in sort of science and medicines. These are organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, the Vaccine Integrity Project. These organizations have come together actually just recently to provide updated recommendations for vaccines that are related to the seasonal respiratory viruses. You can find information about those recommendations at a website called spreadthefacts.org. What I have found and what we have heard from families is that there is a lot of information online. Everything is so readily accessible. It is absolutely normal to have questions. The best person to help answer those questions and interpret the information that you're finding online is a trusted medical professional. I would encourage your listeners, particularly parents with children who are trying to navigate the school forms and the school requirements and all the things that happen in the beginning of a school year to talk to their family's pediatrician or nurse practitioner. I will not dispute that advice, but the American Academy of Pediatrics, many people may not know this based in our viewing area, they are funded in large part by the pharmaceutical companies. So it would make sense that they would recommend those vaccines, right? I think what we need to do is look for consensus, not novelty. Guidance that is shared across major pediatric and public health organizations and several of them all at time is stronger than an individual signal that you might get or a claim that is announced without published evidence behind it. I think we should always ask to your point questions about what is this evidence? Is it credible? Has it been updated? Have we been monitoring things over years? And again, when in doubt, a quick call or portal message to your family's physician or pediatrician is going to be an hour or two searching and driving yourself crazy online. I know some people, especially I would say younger parents, sometimes they lean into social media because you do have all these people at least telling us that they're experts. I'm doctor so and so, and they give all this information. What would you say about that? Because sometimes in the middle of the night, and I've heard of parents doing it, I don't do it. But sometimes in the middle of the night, you're up all night, you're looking for a solution. Maybe you're not thinking about calling your doctor, you're turning to Instagram, TikTok, and you're getting information off there thinking that it's legit information because the person's title was doctor so and so. Yes, we are all inundated with that information. I will say as a biomedical scientist in training, I often get questions from parents in my kid's school on the way for drop off and at pickup. I saw this thing on TikTok last night or forwarding me a message that came through WhatsApp and asking about whether or not it is credible or advice that they should take. One of the things that I would say to parents who are trying to navigate this is social media is designed to capture your attention. So flashy signals on social media combined with messages about fear or just trust me are things that you should question, are things that should be a red flag. Anything that sort of suggests that you should do something just because it's common sense, but there aren't able to back that up with scientific research or evidence or any kind of data, red flag. What you can trust is when there are established multi-generational public health organizations that are there to look out for the public's health. You can also trust your doctor and your pediatrician and those who you are closest to who can interpret, again, all of this information that is very individualized. Whether or not a person should have a particular treatment based on a blood result that they may get and put in CHAT-GPT is going to be very different for you than it is going to be for me based on the way that I live my life, based on my medical history. And so a physician is going to be in the best position to be able to interpret that advice for you and for your family. Well, Dr. Avenel Joseph, you are the expert. Obviously, you know more than we do about medicine. We appreciate your time here on Good Day Chicago. Thank you. Thanks for having me.