Oct 16, 2026 · 14 min · 8 segments
In this episode of GeriEvidence, Dr. Alexandra Papaioannou speaks with **Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple** about navigating health information on social media. They discuss the impact of misinformation, how…
Lauren Colenso-SempleGuest
Alexandra PapaioannouHostWell, I think scientists are trained to communicate with other scientists, and when we think about information related to health, exercise, nutrition; these tools that people should be incorporating in their day-to-day lives, we want them to have access to that information in a way that is digestible and understandable.
And so I think science communication is incredibly important in that space because the industry is also just saturated with misinformation or with marketing trying to get people to buy products that they don't need.
And so I think it's a very confusing time for people who are trying to navigate this space and improve their health.
And I think you bring up such a great point, is we know in science research it can take us 10 to 15 years from when a publication happens to when people...
I, I think in some cases there's a sort of disconnect of what was the purpose of that particular study? Is it ready to be translated into practice?
But I, I see this online all the time where, you know, a new rodent study comes out or perhaps-
... a new observational study and then people will try to jump to, "Well, how should I change my behavior?" Or, "What should I buy that, that would, you know, align with the results of that research?" So there's a bit of a disconnect between kind of wanting to be evidence-based, but being able to understand the kind of whole body of literature, how science develops and self-corrects over time, and what that means for the public.
Well, I think scientists are trained to communicate with other scientists, and when we think about information related to health, exercise, nutrition; these tools that people should be incorporating in their day-to-day lives, we want them to have access to that information in a way that is digestible and understandable.
And so I think science communication is incredibly important in that space because the industry is also just saturated with misinformation or with marketing trying to get people to buy products that they don't need.
And so I think it's a very confusing time for people who are trying to navigate this space and improve their health.
And I think you bring up such a great point, is we know in science research it can take us 10 to 15 years from when a publication happens to when people...
I, I think in some cases there's a sort of disconnect of what was the purpose of that particular study? Is it ready to be translated into practice?
But I, I see this online all the time where, you know, a new rodent study comes out or perhaps-
... a new observational study and then people will try to jump to, "Well, how should I change my behavior?" Or, "What should I buy that, that would, you know, align with the results of that research?" So there's a bit of a disconnect between kind of wanting to be evidence-based, but being able to understand the kind of whole body of literature, how science develops and self-corrects over time, and what that means for the public.
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