Use of health information from social media and health self-efficacy: a cross-sectional study

Background Social media has become a common source for health information, yet the relationship between users’ experiences with this form of digital health information and health self-efficacy remains poorly understood. This study investigates how the reported reliance on and perceived evaluative difficulty of social-media-based health information are associated with self-efficacy levels in a misinformation-prone environment. Methods This cross-sectional study analyzed data from the 2022 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS 6), a nationally representative sample of U. S. adults ( N = 4,352). Binomial logistic regression was used to estimate the likelihood of being “completely confident” in one’s ability to manage health. Key predictors included: reported use of social media to make health decisions, use of such information in clinical discussions, and the perceived difficulty distinguishing between true and false health information. The model controlled for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, daily social media use, and self-rated health. Results Approximately 27% of respondents reported complete health self-efficacy. Multivariable analysis showed that individuals who strongly disagreed with using social media information for health decisions were significantly more likely to report high self-efficacy (OR = 1.37, p = 0.041). Similarly, those who strongly disagreed that it was difficult to differentiate between true and false health information were 47% more likely to be completely confident about health management (OR = 1.47, p = 0.009). Using social media information in discussions with providers was not associated with health self-efficacy. Notably, women (OR = 1.57, p < 0.001) and daily social media users (OR = 1.38, p = 0.013) reported higher confidence, while Asian respondents were less likely to report being completely confident compared to their White counterparts (OR = 0.44, p = 0.004). Conclusion Health self-efficacy is associated with selective non-reliance on social-media-based health information for decision making and perceived evaluative ease. These patterns are consistent with Social Cognitive Theory, which emphasizes the role of perceived competence in shaping confidence beliefs. Although causal direction cannot be established, the findings suggest that public health efforts may benefit from supporting digital health literacy and critical evaluative confidence may be relevant to strengthening confidence in health management within increasingly complex digital information environments.