Analysis of cervical cancer content on Instagram
Keywords:
Digital Public Health, Internet, Disinformation, Uterine Cervical Neoplasms, Human Papillomavirus VirusesAbstract
Objective: To analyze the reliability of cervical cancer content published on Instagram.
Method: A descriptive, documentary research study that analyzed Instagram posts about cervical cancer, selected through the hashtags #câncerdecolodeútero, #hpv, #vacinahpv, and #vacinacontraohpv, in May 2025. The first 50 posts from the “relevant” tab were analyzed for each hashtag. Information reliability was assessed using internationally validated methodologies for measuring health information quality.
Results: 55% of posts were considered reliable, 33% of moderate reliability, 10% unreliable, and 2% inconsistent. Of all posts, 47.27% were related to the thematic axis of prevention and 14.54% to diagnosis. Widespread circulation of low-reliability information about cervical cancer prevention was identified.
Conclusion: The identification of content with low informational quality highlights a concern in the context of health communication on social media.
References
1. Roberts B, Kobritz M, Nofi C, Demyan L, Guevara J, Hansen L, et al. Social Media, misinformation, and online patient education in emergency general surgical procedures. J Surg Res [Internet]. 2023 [cited 2025 Jul 26];287:16-23. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jss.2023.01.009
2. Chou WYS, Gaysynsky A, Cappella JN. Where we go from here: health misinformation on social media. Am J Public Health [Internet]. 2020 [cited 2025 Jul 26];110(Suppl 3):S273-S5. Available from: https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2020.305905
3. Galhardi CP, Freire NP, Fagundes MCM, Minayo MCS, Cunha ICKO. Fake news and vaccine hesitancy in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil. Ciênc Saúde Coletiva [Internet]. 2022 [cited 2025 May 20];27(5):1849-58. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1590/1413-81232022275.24092021
4. Mendes LMC, da Silva Neto AS, Barbosa NG, Cardoso LF, de Andrade RF, Gomes-Sponholz FA. Representations of COVID-19: the pandemic in the context of international commuting migration from mining. Rev Esc Enferm USP [Internet]. 2023 [cited 2025 Jul 26];57(spe):e20220382. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1590/1980-220X-REEUSP-2022-0382en
5. Suarez-Lledo V, Alvarez-Galvez J. Prevalence of health misinformation on social media: systematic review. J Med Internet Res [Internet]. 2021 [cited 2025 Jul 26];23(1):e17187. Available from: https://www.jmir.org/2021/1/e17187/
6. Wang Y, McKee M, Torbica A, Stuckler D. Systematic literature review on the spread of health-related misinformation on social media. Soc Sci Med [Internet]. 2019 [cited 2025 Jul 26];240:112552. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2019.112552
7. Instituto Nacional de Câncer José Alencar da Silva (INCA). Dados e números sobre câncer do colo do útero: relatório anual 2022 [Internet]. Rio de Janeiro: INCA; 2022 [cited 2025 Jul 26]. Available from: https://ninho.inca.gov.br/jspui/handle/123456789/11047
8. Santos WM, Santos DM, Fernandes MS. HPV immunization in Brazil and proposals to increase adherence to vaccination campaigns. Rev Saúde Pública [Internet]. 2023 [cited 2025 May 7];57:79. Available from: https://doi.org/10.11606/s1518-8787.2023057005410
9. Nobre R, Guerra LDS, Carnut L. Hesitação e recusa vacinal em países com sistemas universais de saúde: uma revisão integrativa sobre seus efeitos. Saúde Debate [Internet]. 2022 [cited 2025 Jul 26];46(Spe 1):303-21. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1590/0103-11042022E121
10. Fernandez M, Paiva E, Petra P, Rosário CA, Lemos PL, Vieira F, et al. The reasons for vaccine hesitancy in Brazil: an analysis based on the perception of health workers who worked during the COVID-19 pandemic. Saude Soc [Internet]. 2024 [cited 2025 Jul 26];33(4):e230854en. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1590/S0104-12902024230854en
11. Smailhodzic E, Hooijsma W, Boonstra A, Langley DJ. Social media use in healthcare: a systematic review of effects on patients and on their relationship with healthcare professionals. BMC Health Serv Res [Internet]. 2016 [cited 2025 Jul 26];16:442. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-016-1691-0
12. Fefer M, Lamb CC, Shen AH, Clardy P, Muralidhar V, Devlin PM, et al. Multilingual analysis of the quality and readability of online health information on the adverse effects of breast cancer treatments. JAMA Surg [Internet]. 2020 [cited 2025 Jul 26];155(8):781-4. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1001/jamasurg.2020.1668
13. Ozduran E, Hanci V, Erkin Y. Evaluating the readability, quality and reliability of online patient education materials on chronic low back pain. Natl Med J India [Internet]. 2024 [cited 2025 Jul 26];37:124-30. Available from: https://doi.org/10.25259/NMJI_327_2022
14. Guimarães T, Cordeiro RI. O Instagram sob o viés da desinformação: as hashtags e o compartilhamento de informações na área de Nutrição. Em Questão [Internet]. 2024 [cited 2025 Jul 26];30:e138528. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1590/1808-5245.30.138528
15. Vicente EP, de Faria SEE, Almeida ABL, Yamada PA, Lucena TFR, Silva TMG, et al. Cervical cancer prevention on instagram: content and social interaction analysis of brazilian accounts. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev [Internet]. 2022 [cited 2025 Jul 26];23(9):3043-49. Available from: https://journal.waocp.org/article_90283.html
16. Luizaga CTM, Jardim BC, Wünsch-Filho V, Eluf-Neto J, Silva GA. Recent changes in trends of mortality from cervical cancer in Southeastern Brazil. Revista De Saúde Pública [Intermet]. 2023 [cited 2025 Jul 26];57(1):25. Available from: https://doi.org/10.11606/s1518-8787.2023057004709
17. dos Santos RT, Franco TAV, Pitthan RGV, Cabral LMS, Cotrim Junior DF, Gomes BC. Public health and communication: impasses facing Brazil’s National Health System in democratic public opinion formation. Ciência & Saúde Coletiva [Internet]. 2022 [cited 2025 Jul 26];27(4):1547-56. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1590/1413-81232022274.02622021
18. Sacramento I, Falcão H, Monari AC. Entrando no campo da desinformação: emoções conflitantes e os limites da relativização. Saúde e Sociedade [Internet]. 2023 [cited 2025 Jul 26];32(4):e230456pt. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1590/S0104-12902023230456pt
19. Madeiro A, Rufino AC. Cobertura e fatores associados à não realização do exame citopatológico do colo do útero entre mulheres brasileiras de 18 a 39 anos. J Health Biol Sci [Internet]. 2022 [cited 2025 Jul 26];10(1):1-9. Available from: https://doi.org/10.12662/2317-3076jhbs.v10i1.3521.p1-9.2022
20. Bourdieu P. A escola conservadora: as desigualdades frente à escola e à cultura. In: Nogueira: Maria Alice; Catani, Afrânio. Escritos de Educação. São Paulo: Vozes, 1998. p. 39-64.
21. Reis RS, de Lima FCS, da Silva DHN, Cavalcante JPF, Corrêa FM, Santos YRP, et al. HPV infection and cancer control in Brazil: the important Role of vaccination. Rev Bras Cancerol [Internet]. 2025 [cited 2025 Jul 26];71(1):e-164928. Available from: https://doi.org/10.32635/2176-9745.RBC.2025v71n1.4928
22. Agência Brasil. Desinformação é maior entrave para controle do câncer do colo do útero [Internet]. Rio de Janeiro: Agência Brasil; 2022 [cited 2025 Jul 26]. Available from: https://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/saude/noticia/2022-02/desinformacao-e-maior-entrave-para-controle-do-cancer-do-colo-do-utero
23. Crenitte MRF, de Melo LR, Jacob Filho W, Avelino-Silva TJ. Transforming the invisible into the visible: disparities in the access to health in LGBT+ older people. Clinics [Internet]. 2023 [cited 2025 Jul 26];78:100149. Available from: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinsp.2022.100149
24. Góes EF, Guimarães JMN, Almeida MCC, Gabrielli L, Katikireddi SV, Campos AC, et al. The intersection of race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status: inequalities in breast and cervical cancer mortality in 20,665,005 adult women from the 100 million brazilian cohort. Ethn Health [Internet]. 2024 [cited 2025 Jul 26];29(1):46-61. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1080/13557858.2023.2245183
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Luana Oliveira Rodrigues, Luane Julyelle Duarte Pantoja, Beatriz Graça de Araújo Moraes, Nayara Gonçalves Barbosa, Thais de Oliveira Gozzo, Flávia Azevedo Gomes-Sponholz, Lise Maria Carvalho Mendes

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Cogitare Enfermagem reserves the right to make normative, orthographic, and grammatical changes to the published article to maintain the cultured standard of the language, while respecting the authors' style.
The published study is the sole responsibility of the author(s), and Cogitare Enfermagem is exclusively responsible for evaluating the manuscript as a scientific publication vehicle. Revista Cogitare Enfermagem is not responsible for any violations of Law No. 9,610/1998, the Brazilian Copyright Law.
Cogitare Enfermagem allows the author to hold the copyright of articles accepted for publication, without restrictions.
The articles published are licensed under the Creative Commons license CC BY 4.0 Creative Commons - Attribution 4.0 International - CC BY 4.0 - The attribution adopted by Cogitare Enfermagem is permitted:
- Share - copy and redistribute the material in any media or format.
- Adapt - remix, transform and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
- Attribution - You must give proper credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes have been made. You may do this in any reasonable way, but not in a way that suggests that the licensor endorses it or approves of its use.
- No additional restrictions - You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing something that the license allows.





















