Getting health advice from an influencer may also mean getting a sales pitch.
A new analysis by the Pew Research Center examined more than 500,000 Instagram, TikTok and YouTube posts from more than 6,000 health and wellness influencers.
Researchers found that 38% of the posts promoted a product, service or subscription. When influencers discussed over-the-counter medications or dietary supplements, about two-thirds of those posts included a promotional element.
Overall, influencers were more likely to post about healthy living topics, such as fitness and nutrition, than about medical issues.
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"Our previous research has found that around a quarter of Americans who get information from health and wellness influencers say this content makes them feel more worried about their overall health," Pew said. We wanted to find out whether this content frequently warns of specific health harms, like risks from certain health practices or the perceived dangers of different drugs and treatments."
Pew said that 11% of posts warn about a direct health harm, while 9% refer to an outside source while making a health claim.
