Medical Conspiracy Theories and Health Behaviors

May 2014, Vol 174, No. 5

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Research Letter

Published online May 2014

Web of Science® Times Cited: 4

Medical Conspiracy Theories and Health Behaviors in the United States

J. Eric Oliver, PhD¹; Thomas Wood, MA¹

[+] Author Affiliations

¹Department of Political Science, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois

JAMA Intern Med. 2014;174(5):817-818. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.190.

Article

EXTRACT

Over the past 50 years, numerous conspiracy theories have materialized around public health matters such as water fluoridation, vaccines, cell phones, and alternative medicine. What remains unclear is whether the American public supports these conspiracy theories or whether they correlate with actual health behaviors.

Article InformationCorresponding Author: J. Eric Oliver, PhD, Department of Political Science, University of Chicago, 518 Pick Hall, 5828 S University Ave, Chicago, IL 60637 (eoliver@uchicago.edu).

Published Online: March 17, 2014. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.190.

Author Contributions: Dr Oliver had full access to all of the data in the study and takes responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis.

Study concept and design: Both authors.

Acquisition of data: Oliver.

Analysis and interpretation of data: Both authors.

Drafting of the manuscript: Oliver.

Critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content: Both authors.

Statistical analysis: Both authors.

Obtained funding: Oliver.

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: None reported.

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