Доверие к государственным медицинским учреждениям как источникам информации о раке снизилось после пандемии

Trust in government health agencies as sources of cancer information decreased during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, according to research published in JAMA Network Open. Trust in charitable organizations and family/friends as sources of cancer information also decreased over this period, study researchers reported. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, trust in traditional health authorities in the US was tested amid rapidly changing guidance, competing narratives, and widespread misinformation,” the researchers explained. To evaluate how trust in cancer information sources changed throughout the pandemic, the researchers used data from the National Cancer Institute’s Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) collected from March 2020 toSeptember 2024. They then compared those data to prepandemic figures collected from January 2018 to February 2020. Of 20,899 HINTS respondents, complete data were available for 17,252, including: - 4063 from the prepandemic period (2018 and early 2020) - 1952 from the early-pandemic period (March 12 to June 30, 2020) - 5190 from the late-pandemic period (2022) - 6047 postpandemic periods (2024) The mean age of the respondents was 47.9 years, and 51% were female. Across the groups, 14.8% to 18.5% of respondents had Hispanic ethnicity, 4.8% to 5.7% were non-Hispanic Asian, 9.7% to 11.9% were non-Hispanic Black, 61.7% to 67.0% were non-Hispanic White, and 2.5% to 5.2% identified as non-Hispanic other race. Most respondents (87.0% to 88.7%) lived in metropolitan counties, and 7.7% to 9.9% had previously been diagnosed with cancer. Trust in government health agencies as a source of cancer information, which had been at 75.9% prepandemic, decreased significantly by late pandemic, to 71.3% (adjusted prevalence ratio [APR], 0.93; 95% CI, 0.90-0.97). Trust remained low postpandemic, at 71.7% (APR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.90-0.97). Trust in charitable organizations decreased from 51.8% in the prepandemic period to 47.9% in the late-pandemic period (APR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.85-0.99). Trust in family or friends decreased from 58.2% in the prepandemic period to 52.6% in the postpandemic period (APR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.85-0.97). Trust in physicians as a source of cancer information was 95.7% prepandemic and did not change significantly throughout the study period, the researchers noted. In subgroup analyses, White people reported less trust in government health agencies, from 75.4% prepandemic to 70.2% in the late-pandemic period (APR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.89-0.97) and 68.7% postpandemic (APR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.86-0.95). Across the same periods, lower trust in government health agencies was also observed in men (75.3% to 69.2% and 69.7%, respectively), respondents aged 18 to 34 years (82.3% to 71.2% and 72.6%), metropolitan residents (76.4% to 72.2% and 72.7%), and respondents with no cancer history (76.4% to 71.4% and 72.0%). “The patterns we observed align with recent reports that cancer-related information and behavior may be increasingly shaped by nontraditional messengers,” the researchers concluded. “Coordinated cancer communication efforts may help reinforce evidence-based information through trusted clinical, public health, and community sources.” This research was supported by the National Cancer Institute. One study author disclosed conflicts of interest. Please see the original reference for complete disclosures. References: Burus T, Weber TN, McAfee CR, Hull PC. Trust in cancer information sources during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. JAMA Netw Open. Published online August 31, 2026. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.29326