WCRF attends UK parliamentary roundtable on health misinformation
Melissa Dando, Senior Policy and Public Affairs Officer at World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), was delighted to attend a roundtable in the UK Parliament to discuss Deborah Cohen’s book “Bad Influence”, which explores how social media has transformed health care.
Our Senior Policy and Public Affairs Officer, Melissa Dando, with author Deborah Cohen
The discussion, hosted by Jess Asato MP and Josh Fenton-Glynn MP, was especially timely given that our Cancer Prevention Action Week campaign ‘Science Not Fiction – Evidence Saves Lives’, wrapped up for 2026 just a day prior.
The roundtable brought together clinicians, researchers, policymakers and public health experts to discuss a range of issues relating to health misinformation, including the real-world impact it is having on healthcare professionals and patients alike.
Melissa Dando, Senior Policy and Public Affairs Officer at World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), was delighted to attend a roundtable in the UK Parliament to discuss Deborah Cohen’s book “Bad Influence”, which explores how social media has transformed health care.
Our Senior Policy and Public Affairs Officer, Melissa Dando, with author Deborah Cohen
The discussion, hosted by Jess Asato MP and Josh Fenton-Glynn MP, was especially timely given that our Cancer Prevention Action Week campaign ‘Science Not Fiction – Evidence Saves Lives’, wrapped up for 2026 just a day prior.
The roundtable brought together clinicians, researchers, policymakers and public health experts to discuss a range of issues relating to health misinformation, including the real-world impact it is having on healthcare professionals and patients alike.
Melissa Dando, Senior Policy and Public Affairs Officer at World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), was delighted to attend a roundtable in the UK Parliament to discuss Deborah Cohen’s book “Bad Influence”, which explores how social media has transformed health care.
Our Senior Policy and Public Affairs Officer, Melissa Dando, with author Deborah Cohen
The discussion, hosted by Jess Asato MP and Josh Fenton-Glynn MP, was especially timely given that our Cancer Prevention Action Week campaign ‘Science Not Fiction – Evidence Saves Lives’, wrapped up for 2026 just a day prior.
The roundtable brought together clinicians, researchers, policymakers and public health experts to discuss a range of issues relating to health misinformation, including the real-world impact it is having on healthcare professionals and patients alike.
Our Senior Policy and Public Affairs Officer, Melissa Dando, with author Deborah Cohen
Melissa Dando, Senior Policy and Public Affairs Officer at World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), was delighted to attend a roundtable in the UK Parliament to discuss Deborah Cohen’s book “Bad Influence”, which explores how social media has transformed health care.
The discussion, hosted by Jess Asato MP and Josh Fenton-Glynn MP, was especially timely given that our Cancer Prevention Action Week campaign ‘Science Not Fiction – Evidence Saves Lives’, wrapped up for 2026 just a day prior.
The roundtable brought together clinicians, researchers, policymakers and public health experts to discuss a range of issues relating to health misinformation, including the real-world impact it is having on healthcare professionals and patients alike.
Health misinformation is a growing problem for cancer prevention
Polling commissioned by WCRF highlights the scale of the issue for cancer prevention, finding that 44% of patient-facing NHS staff say patients raise inaccurate or misleading nutrition or supplement information at least weekly. This confirms that already overstretched healthcare professionals are spending valuable time during routine appointments addressing false claims that can affect cancer prevention, often originating from social media.
Worryingly, our polling also showed that people who rely on social media for news are more likely to believe false or misleading claims about cancer and nutrition. In effect this diverts attention away from what the evidence shows us reduces cancer risk.
What policy changes are needed to tackle health misinformation?
In terms of what policy and regulatory measures are needed to tackle health misinformation, the group agreed that tackling core drivers – such as algorithmic amplification – are essential. Crucially, participants also highlighted the importance of ensuring that AI large language models do not perpetuate or amplify existing inequalities through biased training data.
What’s next for our health misinformation campaign?
At WCRF, we will be taking forward these discussions to inform future years of our health misinformation campaign, which will run until 2028. We also look forward to strengthening relationships with experts in the field to develop, and advocate for, robust policy interventions.
If you are interested in getting involved with our health misinformation campaign, please contact Mélanie at m.purnode@wcrf.org.
