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Influence of Health Misinformation Education on Health Information Verification Practices among University Students in Nigeria

Abstract

Health misinformation has become an important public health concern in the digital age because inaccurate or misleading health information can influence individuals' perceptions, decisions, and health-related behaviours. University students are increasingly exposed to health information through social media platforms, websites, messaging applications, online videos, blogs, and other digital sources, making the ability to identify and verify health information an important component of health literacy. Health misinformation education provides students with knowledge and practical skills for identifying misleading health claims, evaluating the credibility of information sources, recognizing common misinformation techniques, checking the authorship and date of online information, comparing information across credible sources, identifying evidence-based health information, and consulting qualified health professionals when necessary. Health information verification practices refer to the actions students undertake to determine whether health information obtained from digital or other sources is accurate and reliable before accepting or sharing it. In Nigeria, inadequate health information verification practices may be associated with limited digital health literacy, high exposure to social media content, reliance on informal information sources, confirmation bias, limited knowledge of credible health information platforms, and difficulty distinguishing evidence-based information from misleading claims. Effective health misinformation education may improve students' ability to critically evaluate and verify health information before accepting or disseminating it. Against this background, this study investigates the influence of health misinformation education on health information verification practices among university students in Nigeria. The study is anchored on the Health Belief Model, Social Cognitive Theory, and the Knowledge-Attitude-Practice framework. The Health Belief Model provides a framework for understanding students' responses to health information through perceived susceptibility to misinformation-related harm, perceived severity, perceived benefits of verifying health information, perceived barriers, and cues to action. Social Cognitive Theory emphasizes the interaction between knowledge, self-efficacy, social influences, digital environments, and information-related behaviour. The Knowledge-Attitude-Practice framework provides a basis for examining how health misinformation education may improve students' knowledge and attitudes and influence their information verification practices. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a suitable framework for explaining how health misinformation education may influence health information verification practices among university students in Nigeria. The study will adopt a quantitative quasi-experimental research design. Primary data will be collected from undergraduate students in selected Nigerian universities using a structured self-administered questionnaire, health misinformation knowledge assessment, and health information verification practice assessment tool. A multistage sampling technique will be employed to select universities, faculties or departments, academic levels, and eligible students. Where feasible, selected student groups or university settings will be assigned to intervention and comparison groups. Students in the intervention group will receive structured health misinformation education covering common forms of health misinformation, identification of misleading health claims, evaluation of information sources, recognition of unreliable websites and social media content, checking authorship and publication dates, comparison with credible health sources, interpretation of scientific evidence, identification of misleading statistics and sensational claims, and appropriate consultation of qualified healthcare professionals. Health information verification practices will be assessed using indicators such as checking the credibility of information sources, comparing information across multiple reliable sources, consulting official health organizations, examining evidence and references, checking publication dates and authorship, consulting healthcare professionals when necessary, and avoiding immediate sharing of unverified health information. Where feasible, participants will also complete practical health-information verification tasks using simulated online health claims to provide a more objective assessment of verification ability. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize students' sociodemographic characteristics, digital-media use, previous exposure to health education, misinformation knowledge, and verification-practice scores. Inferential statistical techniques, including chi-square tests, paired-sample tests, independent-sample tests, and multiple regression analysis, will be used to determine the influence of health misinformation education on health information verification practices. Where appropriate, verification practices before and after the intervention will be compared. Diagnostic tests will also be conducted to assess the reliability of the research instruments, model assumptions, goodness of fit, and robustness of the findings. The study is expected to find that health misinformation education has a significant positive influence on health information verification practices among university students in Nigeria. Students exposed to structured education are expected to demonstrate improved ability to identify misleading health claims, evaluate the credibility of information sources, compare information from multiple reliable sources, identify evidence-based health information, and avoid sharing unverified health content. Practical exercises involving common social media health claims and misleading online information are expected to strengthen students' confidence and ability to apply verification skills in real-world digital environments. Education may also encourage students to consult credible health institutions and qualified healthcare professionals when confronted with uncertain or conflicting health information. However, education alone may not eliminate exposure to misinformation because students may continue to encounter high volumes of misleading content through social media platforms, messaging applications, online influencers, and informal information networks. Consequently, health misinformation education may be most effective when supported by improved digital health literacy, access to credible health information platforms, university health communication programmes, media literacy initiatives, and broader public health communication strategies. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on health misinformation, digital health literacy, health information verification, health communication, university student health, health education, media literacy, and public health in Nigeria by providing empirical evidence on the influence of health misinformation education on students' health information verification practices. The findings will provide useful information to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Federal Ministry of Education, universities, university health centres, public health practitioners, health educators, health communication specialists, digital-health professionals, media organizations, development partners, and policymakers regarding strategies for improving the ability of young adults to identify and verify health information. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for integrating health misinformation education into university health and digital-literacy programmes, strengthening students' ability to critically evaluate online health claims, promoting the use of credible health information sources, improving public health communication, and reducing the potential harm associated with the acceptance and dissemination of health misinformation among university students in Nigeria.

Keywords: Health misinformation education, health information verification practices, university students, Nigeria, health misinformation, digital health literacy, health information, health education, health communication, media literacy, online health information, information verification, public health.