December 5, 2024

In recent years, Singapore has grappled with the growing healthcare challenge of diabetes. Against the backdrop of this struggle, Assistant Professor Soo Jung Hong (NUS Communications and New Media) explores the impact of exposure to conflicting nutritional messages in ‘The Paradox of Self-Efficacy: The Underlying Mechanisms Between Exposure to Contradictory Information and Nutritional Backlash’ (Current Psychology, 2023). The study involved 416 participants aged 21 to 40, focusing on how young adults respond to conflicting nutritional information—a critical demographic for early diabetes intervention efforts.

Asst. Prof Hong’s research explores a nuanced phenomenon: while access to a plethora of online nutritional content might seem beneficial, it often leads to confusion due to contradictory messages. For instance, some sources might praise the health benefits of foods like eggs for protein content, while others criticize them for cholesterol levels, presenting a dilemma for the health-conscious reader.

She finds that this contradiction is particularly disorienting for individuals with high informational self-efficacy—that is, those who are confident in their ability to independently process and utilize health information. Paradoxically, their competence leads them to scrutinize the information deeply, making them more susceptible to confusion when confronted with conflicting data. In contrast, individuals with lower informational self-efficacy might not delve as deeply into the information, thus they are somewhat shielded from the resultant confusion. This distinction marks a critical insight into public health messaging: more information isn’t always better, particularly when it is contradictory.

Asst. Prof Hong discusses how, in her study, some participants encountered contradictory advice about sugar intake. One source might suggest that natural sugars like those in fruits are healthy, while another warns against sugar in all forms due to its links to diabetes. For someone with high informational self-efficacy, this contradiction might prompt an exhaustive analysis of various sources, leading to confusion and frustration. Those with lower self-efficacy might simply follow a single piece of advice without questioning its validity, thereby avoiding the psychological strain of conflicting messages.

Overall, Asst. Prof Hong stresses the importance of clear and consistent public health messaging on healthy eating. This approach not only guides better dietary habits but also mitigates the confusion and distress caused by contradictory online nutrition information, thereby enhancing public health initiatives against conditions like diabetes.

Read the article here.