Inconsistent information has been found on 16%–49.6% of websites, while in the case of ‘weight loss’, this percentage rose to 54%–94%. Purely congruent with guidelines information was found on 18%–39.7% of websites. Difficult-to-comprehend information was found on most of the websites based on readability levels.
Abstract
Background
Concerns have been raised regarding the quality of health information published on the World Wide Web, while studies accumulating similar evidence for nutrition-related information are scarce. The present review aimed to systematically accumulate and discuss the findings of studies evaluating the content quality of websites publishing nutrition-related information, based on the PRISMA statement.
Methods
Studies that have assessed the accuracy and readability of dietary advice published on websites/webpages were evaluated. The SPIDER framework was used for the systematic search of studies, and those that evaluated websites/webpages that did not contain nutritional information, were videos or social media, referred to health professionals, or contained information on a specific theme (e.g., dietary supplements), were excluded.
Results
Twenty-nine studies were included in this review, assessing information, published mainly in English, on 18 different diet-related topics. Twenty of them classified websites and reported, also, results per category. Inconsistent information has been found on 16%–49.6% of websites, with this percentage rising to 54%–94% in the case of ‘weight loss’ information. Purely congruent with guidelines information was found on 18%–39.7% of websites. Commercial sites were inferior in terms of quality to the rest. The readability level was estimated as higher than the recommended in 9 out of 11 studies that assessed it.
Conclusions
Results of the present systematic review indicate that inaccurate and hard-to-read dietary advice is found on many websites, regardless of the dietary topic.
Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, Volume 38, Issue 1, February 2025. Read More