Crumbling Pavlova

Now I will admit that I have always been impressed by a snappy title, so when I came across this recent piece from the American Diabetes Association I was intrigued to say the least.

The title of The Sugar-Coated Truth hooked me in, but when I saw the sub-title of The Quality of Diabetes Health Information on TikTok I knew that as a diabetic librarian it was for me. As a user of social media myself I am only too aware of the promises that appear on social media of potential cures for all kinds of illnesses, especially those posts aimed at younger audiences.

The 2024 article from Clinical Diabetes is worth a read to familiarise yourself with techniques with social media influencers use to draw us in, whilst recognising that people of all ages engage with TikTok and other platforms to inform themselves around health issues. It is important that people are able to distinguish before reputable and harmful information online, and as a librarian I know that professionals have a key role to play in equipping both young and old with the skills to evaluate health information.

Rather than dismissing social media the American Diabetes Association recommends instead that Health Care Providers use such platforms to share accurate information to ensure that people are able to make informed choices around their own care. There are some great resources out there already – I especially like the example from NHS England Knowledge and Library Services Team and South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust

Spruhaa, V. et al. The Sugar-Coated Truth: The Quality of Diabetes Health Information on TikTok. Clinical Diabetes 15 January 2025; 43 (1): 53–58. https://doi.org/10.2337/cd24-0042

#TikTok #social media #education # diabetes #type 1 #health literacy #misinformation