Adapting the Bottom-Line Protective Knowledge Model to include identification of misinformation on reproductive and maternal health and vaccination

This grant will expand a new public health media model. Under a previous grant, the model was developed, tested, and shown to be successful as a reliable method of tracking COVID-19 deceptions; taxonomizing them into categories that reveal ways to minimize susceptibility to them; determining their prevalence; responding to the consequential ones in Spanish and English through an online channel distributed through both legacy and online media; and equipping infodemiologists to do the same in online interactions. The expanded model will include categories of health knowledge beyond COVID-19, specifically vaccination and maternal and reproductive health knowledge. The project will extend its outreach beyond other fact-checking organizations to include efforts to reform treatment of health knowledge and practice of science communications in federal agencies and in medical education and licensure.