Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Public Health and Surveillance
Date Submitted: May 23, 2025
Date Accepted: Oct 17, 2025
A Critical Health Literacy Podcast to Counter Health Misinformation at Scale: Randomized Controlled Trial
ABSTRACT
Background:
Widespread misinformation and low critical health literacy pose major barriers to public health worldwide. Rapid, scalable interventions are urgently needed to strengthen the public’s ability to make informed health decisions.
Objective:
Informed by critical health literacy frameworks, we developed and tested a brief, story-based critical thinking podcast, Parents Making Informed Health Choices, designed to improve health literacy and decision-making among U.S. parents.
Methods:
In a two-arm randomized controlled trial (N=250) conducted with a diverse national sample of parents recruited online, participants were randomly assigned to listen to either the critical thinking podcast (n=128) or a control podcast (n=122). The experimental podcast delivered nine evidence-based practice principles embedded in relatable scenarios about mental and physical health. Primary outcomes included critical thinking about health claims, intended health behaviors, attitudes toward evidence-based mental health practices, and treatment preferences.
Results:
Compared to the control group, parents who listened to the critical thinking podcast demonstrated significantly improved critical thinking about health information (p<.001), more critical thinking–aligned intended behaviors (p<.01), stronger attitudes in favor of evidence-based mental health practices (p<.05), and more evidence-informed treatment preferences (p<.05).
Conclusions:
Findings suggest that a short, story-based podcast can meaningfully improve critical thinking about health among U.S. parents. Podcasts may offer a scalable, accessible public health tool to counter misinformation and enhance critical health literacy in online populations. Clinical Trial: NA
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