00:00a new report from the london school of hygiene and tropical medicine says experiences of health misinformation vary across britain
00:08in the northeast nearly one in three people say they know someone seriously harmed after making a health decision based
00:15on misleading information
00:17an earlier analysis found one in five uk adults knew someone harmed in this way serious harm can include catching
00:24a preventable disease
00:25having treatment delayed or experiencing symptoms for longer than necessary the figures reflect what
00:31people report knowing about rather than account of every case the authors say regional differences
00:37matter when helping people assess health claims and find reliable information the university's director
00:44professor liam smith says understanding these differences is important to providing tools and
00:50support the report calls for action both locally and nationally and invites northeast health
00:56authorities to collaborate with its health information integrity network one local initiative is she thrives
01:03any which works to help women access evidence-based health information its founder barbara gray says
01:10healthcare professionals should be supported with resources and time to communicate online she also
01:16want stronger regulation to stop unqualified people presenting themselves as health authorities
01:22the challenge is balancing engaging communication with accurate medical advice
