Several behaviors that begin during adolescence can increase disease risk later in life. Barriers to accessing evidence-based health information contribute to health and communication inequities. There is limited data on the types of health misinformation Black and Latinx youth are exposed to and how it affects them. Drawing from a community-based approach, youth participatory action research (YPAR) engages youth in the research process and offers an equity-driven framework for identifying misinformation exposure and communicating relevant health information.

This study seeks to understand RQ1) the types and sources of health information youth participants encounter and RQ2) the feasibility of YPAR as an intervention to impact media literacy. Black and Latinx teens from Lawrence, MA (n=19) were recruited for a YPAR-informed paid internship program. Youth participated in five sessions focusing on four health topics: diet, vaping, alcohol, and HPV vaccination. Before each session, youth completed surveys measuring media exposure, misinformation encountered, and trusted sources of information related to each health topic. Throughout the program, youth led mini-focus groups, performed media content analyses, conducted a survey of the broader peer community, and used survey data to create media messages to address peer communication needs. Program activities encouraged youth to think critically about health information in the media, learn about cancer prevention topics, and build research skills.

Major sources of false health information included TikTok, Instagram, and friends and family. The type of information youth encountered varied by topic: most diet-related information focused on weight loss, vaping-related information focused on stress relief and comparisons to smoking, and alcohol-related information focused on stress relief and minimizing the risks of drinking. There was limited exposure to information about the HPV vaccination. In the final program evaluation survey, youth participants reported higher awareness of health information in their media environment, increased critical thinking about media information, knowledge of health topics, and confidence in sharing accurate information with peers, among other benefits. Facilitating discussions on health information in the media, YPAR offers a model to understand how misinformation exposure impacts racial and ethnic minority groups, which may inform action that addresses health inequities.