Perceived Credibility of Health News and Its Relationship with Trust in Physicians and the Health Care System

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Abstract
Background: This study fills a gap in the literature by examining how perceptions of health news are associated with interpersonal trust in physicians and institutional distrust in the healthcare systems, particularly in the Türkiye context. While previous studies have examined trust in physicians and distrust in healthcare systems separately using different independent variables, evidence remains limited on the simultaneous association between health news perception and both trust in physicians and distrust in the healthcare system, particularly in the Türkiye context and using validated measurement tools. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to examine the association between health news perception, trust in physicians, and distrust in the healthcare system. Methods: The population of this cross-sectional study consisted of individuals aged 18–60 residing in the central district of Kutahya. The study data were collected face-to-face using a two-part questionnaire. A total of 719 completed questionnaires were analyzed. Results: 58% of the participants in the study were aged 41 and above. Commercial concerns and advertising, consumption promotion, behavioral change, health behavior exploitation, and trust in health news were positively associated with distrust in the healthcare system (β = 0.119, β = 0.196, β = 0.054, β = 0.061, β = 0.046; p < 0.01, p < 0.05). The model explained 22.4% of the variance (R2 = 0.224). Commercial concerns and advertising, consumption promotion, behavioral change, health behavior exploitation, and trust in health news were negatively associated with trust in physicians (β = −0.221, β = −0.014, β = −0.014, β = −0.127, β = −0.211; p < 0.05, p < 0.01). The model explained 25.3% of the variance (R2 = 0.253). Conclusions: The study found that health news perception was associated with trust in physicians and distrust in the healthcare system. Therefore, understanding the associations between health news perception, trust in physicians, and distrust in the healthcare system is important for improving individual and public health. For this reason, it is of great importance to raise the level of health and digital health literacy in society through policies developed under the leadership of public health experts.

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