{"id":836,"date":"2026-06-30T20:23:52","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T20:23:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/becid.eu\/?post_type=reports&#038;p=836"},"modified":"2026-07-03T09:20:50","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T09:20:50","slug":"research-brief-misled-at-the-crossroads-vulnerable-life-phases-and-the-spread-of-health-misinformation","status":"publish","type":"reports","link":"https:\/\/becid.eu\/lv\/reports\/research-brief-misled-at-the-crossroads-vulnerable-life-phases-and-the-spread-of-health-misinformation\/","title":{"rendered":"RESEARCH BRIEF | Misled at the Crossroads: Vulnerable Life Phases and the Spread of Health Misinformation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-el wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>This brief addresses one of today\u2019s most pressing public-health challenges \u2013&nbsp;<mark>vaccine hesitancy<\/mark>&nbsp;\u2013 and brings fresh insights from research by Kristina Seimann, Andra Siibak and Marit Napp, published in the journal Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, which explores how individuals understand and respond to vaccines.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-el wp-block-paragraph\">In Estonia, routine childhood-vaccination rates have plunged to around 70%, far below the World Health Organization\u2019s recommended 95%. This alarming trend highlights an urgent need for long-term strategies that build health literacy and renew trust between the medical community and society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-el wp-block-paragraph\">The research reveals key dimensions of this challenge:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list wp-el\">\n<li><mark>Vaccine hesitancy is not a binary issue<\/mark>&nbsp;\u2013 it spans from outright rejection to cautious uncertainty.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Many hesitant individuals are&nbsp;<mark>highly engaged in their decision-making<\/mark>, valuing personal agency and self-defined expertise.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><mark>A lack of trust in institutions&nbsp;<\/mark>\u2013 including government, pharmaceutical industry and public-health authorities \u2013 plays a central role.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Alternative-health beliefs and preference for&nbsp;<mark>natural or holistic remedies correlate strongly<\/mark>&nbsp;with vaccine scepticism.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-el wp-block-paragraph\">These patterns work because they meet fundamental human-needs: people seek control over their health and choices, they filter information themselves rather than accept top-down messaging, and they often feel alienated by polarising \u201cpro\/anti\u201d framing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-el wp-block-paragraph\">Read the full Research Brief here:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This brief addresses one of today\u2019s most pressing public-health challenges \u2013&nbsp;vaccine hesitancy&nbsp;\u2013 and brings fresh insights from research by Kristina&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":879,"template":"","class_list":["post-836","reports","type-reports","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/becid.eu\/lv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/reports\/836","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/becid.eu\/lv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/reports"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/becid.eu\/lv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/reports"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/becid.eu\/lv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/reports\/836\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1193,"href":"https:\/\/becid.eu\/lv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/reports\/836\/revisions\/1193"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/becid.eu\/lv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/879"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/becid.eu\/lv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=836"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}