Geoffrey Garin on PhRMA National Survey

When asked about the link between vaccines and autism, an alarming 25% of Americans and 30% of parents believe that vaccines can cause autism in young children, according to our Second Annual National Health Survey for PhRMA. This is striking in that it comes despite reputable authorities like the CDC and the Mayo Clinic clearly stating that there is no link between vaccines and autism. Additionally, gluten-free diets are all the rage these days and nearly two in three (65%) Americans believe that many people are sensitive to gluten, even if they don’t have Celiac disease.  Recent research, however, contradicts this claim. At the same time, it’s clear that Americans want to know more about their health. More than half (58%) say they are paying more attention to their health now than they were a few years ago, and 51% of Americans say that staying informed about health developments, guidelines and recommendations is a big priority for them. The problem is that these intentions aren’t consistently translating into reality.  Those who say that staying informed is a big priority to them are no more likely than those who care less about being informed to know health myths from facts. With more and more of us turning to the Internet when we have questions about our health or physical symptoms—and 57% of the Americans we surveyed say this is something they commonly do—the challenge becomes figuring out what’s valid and trustworthy. When only one-third of us can say tha...
Source: PHRMA - Category: Pharmaceuticals Authors: Source Type: news