Doctora Instagram, enfermera Facebook: Latinos are turning to social media for health info
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Every time I go on Instagram Reels, I am inundated with so much information that it’s sometimes incredibly hard to parse out what is fact from fiction.
The video of two cats dancing to bachata in the middle of an empty street in the pouring rain — although I wish so badly that it actually happened — is obviously AI. That video of Dr. Simi throwing it back at a stop sign in Mexico — undoubtedly real every single time.
And then there are the many videos I get of fitness influencers and seeming health professionals.
Maybe you’ve seen beetroot juice being hawked as a better, more natural method for lowering blood pressure than prescription medications used to treat hypertension. While there is some evidence that the juice may help, it is not an advisable alternative to medication. Or perhaps red yeast rice has been pitched as an effective way to lower cholesterol. The product has proven to bring those levels down and it does have some of the same active ingredients found in cholesterol-lowering pills, but it also come with its own set of side effects.
While many of these online remedies appear legitimate and well-intentioned, are they fully accurate? Will this advice actually help me or am I being played? I’m not a doctor or healthcare expert, how am I supposed to know?
According to a recent Pew Research Center study, almost half of U.S. Latinos are likely to get health information at least occasionally from social media — a much higher percentage than the overall nationwide average of 36%. Additionally, of those who obtain the online advice, 55% of those surveyed said they thought the information they were getting was at least somewhat accurate.
“It’s an interesting finding, but not surprising,” said Arturo Vargas Bustamante, a professor of health policy and management at UCLA and the director of faculty research at the Latino Policy and Politics Institute. “Latinos are among the demographic groups that are less engaged with the healthcare system in the U.S.”
He noted that Latinos experience one of the highest uninsured rates among all ethnic groups. A 2026 U.S. Census Bureau study found that 17% of Latinos had no health insurance coverage, which was 9 percentage points higher than the overall U.S. population.
“Even among those who have access to care, use of healthcare is usually lower for different reasons,” Vargas Bustamante said. “It could be demographic — Latinos are younger than other populations, so it’s understandable that when you’re younger you’re engaging with the healthcare system less, but also there are other reasons. For example, there’s a high proportion of Latinos who don’t speak English well, so there’s less interest or they find access in the healthcare system a little threatening, so then utilization is lower.”
But even when medical providers do speak Spanish, there remain barriers that prevent Latinos from feeling comfortable around experts, noted Melawhy Garcia, an associate professor in health science at Cal State Long Beach and the director of the Center for Latino Community Health, Evaluation and Leadership Training.
“Sometimes providers are not trained in cultural competence, so they don’t really understand Latino backgrounds, Latino diet, Latino health behaviors,” Garcia said.
This lack of cultural understanding highlights the nation’s Latino physician shortage. Even in states like California and Texas where Latinos make up nearly 40% of the population, only around 6% to 7% of physicians identify as Latino, according to a study presented to the National Institutes of Health.
Another growing problem is the more public presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents across the country.
“Because of what’s happened in the last year related to immigration status, people are still afraid,” Garcia said. “I’m conducting a needs assessment in the city of Long Beach and people are saying ICE is out there. People are afraid to leave their homes. There’s people who are still feeling pretty vulnerable and are isolating in their homes. So I think if they can go online and access information, that’s going to be easier — they don’t have to be worried about deportations.”
Those with insurance who feel safe going to the doctor may still face issues when trying to reach a doctor. Four out of every five Latinos are considered working class, because of this, finding a time to get to a healthcare provider’s office is often difficult. Others may not have reliable forms of transportation to get to an office or clinic. Even when they do find time and a way to get there, the cost of things still presents barriers.
“Oftentimes families cannot afford to leave work to go see a provider,” Garcia said of the opportunity cost calculations many Latinos deal with when it comes to accessing healthcare. “Sometimes they’re still paying co-pays and people cannot afford co-pays right now.”
The public health experts also gave several explanations as to why Latinos are also more likely than not to have faith in the healthcare information they consume online.
“Latinos don’t have a lot of like health literacy, unfortunately. Unless you are in college or studying health, sometimes people in other areas don’t know about healthy diets. They don’t know about like reliable health information,” Garcia said. “So they’re taking at face value what influencers are sharing without realizing that this information may not be correct or credible.”
But there are added elements to the nature of how health information is shared online that introduces extra layers of complexity.
A big factor for many Latinos is that they are many times coming across health-related content because a loved one is sharing the material with them. People want to believe that the people they trust are sending them trustworthy content because of the built-in care of those relationships.
“If your abuela is sending you [something], even though it could seem outrageous, you have a little bit more tolerance and more openness to receive the message because of who it’s coming from versus the content of the message,” Vargas Bustamante said.
Garcia and Vargas Bustamante both agreed that not all of the health advice available on social media is useless, predatory or incorrect. There are plenty of well-meaning people and experts posting content everyday, but both professors noted that even that material may be misleading, inconclusive or overly generalized. What might be good health advice for your cousin might be unhelpful or potentially harmful for you.
So what can be done to curb Latinos’ reliance on social media medical advice? Having healthcare professionals physically meet Latinos where they are.
“Expecting the patient to be proactive and look for a provider is the stage where a lot of Latinos fail to reach preventive care. But there are demonstration programs that are more culturally competent that have been shown to be effective,” Vargas Bustamante said. “For example, community clinics that go to parks on a Sunday when people are with their families. These [often-free] mobile schemes that reach the patient rather than expecting the patient to reach the clinic are promising because while you won’t be able to reach everyone who is in need, at least you will reach demographics that are going to not really interested or willing to pay the cost of looking for preventive care.”
Garcia noted that she has been working with Long Beach’s city health department to help address these areas of need for Latinos.
“We do local health needs assessments with target communities, so, for example, I’m just finishing one with Latino community members,” she said. “[It’s been a lot of] talking to the community about their needs and gaps and resources to create work plans to address those. So one of the things that we’ve identified is people need health information ... What in-person tools work? Community health fairs still work and community awareness events. One very effective strategy is working with community health workers.”
These community health workers are trained frontline professionals who serve as conduits between healthcare providers and community members.
“The promotoras, or community health workers, know how to talk to people,” Garcia said. “They show the importance of learning about health for the family and they’re able to help us recruit and educate families because they come from the communities where the problem is happening. They understand the barriers.”
Let’s hope to see more and promotoras out in the world so that we don’t have to chance it with the snake oil salesmen looking for a quick buck on the internet.
New poll shows California Latinos are leaning toward Xavier Becerra over Steve Hilton
A new poll conducted by the surveying company David Binder Research and the Republican Latino vote whisperer Mike Madrid, showed that only 24% of likely Latino voters in California plan on voting for the Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton. In comparison, 72% of the voting bloc expect to cast a ballot for the Democratic candidate Xavier Becerra.
In general, the Latinos surveyed put more trust in what Democrats might bring to the state than Republicans, but Madrid warned that Democrats should not take too much solace in these findings.
“[It’s] not about Democrats doing better, it’s Republicans failing. It’s the exact same thing that happened 18 months ago,” Madrid said of the poll findings. “They weren’t becoming more Republican, they were moving away from the Democratic Party because of its failures ... So both parties continue to flounder.”
Cost of living continued to be a pressing issue for most respondents and many — 46% — placed blame on state policies over national actions for why the economy continues to fail them. A mere 28% of the surveyed felt the state was going in the right direction, while 29% approved of the current state of California’s economy.
When looking at how the overall California population is feeling a few months before elections, Becerra held a 55% to 37% lead over Hilton according to a UC Berkeley/L.A. Times poll released last week.
On Tuesday, Becerra pledged to participate in more than one debate against Hilton between “now and Nov. 3.”
De Los’ Suzy Exposito to be honored by Los Angeles LGBT Center
De Los assistant editor Suzy Exposito will be honored by the Los Angeles LGBT Center during the organization’s fourth annual Queerceañera — its signature celebration of queer Latine culture — on Sept. 26.
Exposito is being recognized for her work in highlighting the breadth of the Latino community through her journalism and for elevating queer voices. Notably, she was the first Latina to author a cover story for Rolling Stone back in 2020 when she profiled Bad Bunny for the magazine. She has also written about queer icons Alice Bag, Kali Uchis and Rosalía.
“I was a 15-year-old baby punk in Florida when I began to realize my sexuality would diverge from the path of normativity — which is why it feels poetic to be honored at this year’s Queerceañera,” she said of the organization’s recognition. “It’s been my life’s work to help undo the countless years of shame and oppression against our communities by telling the stories of LGBTQ Latines. It’s also been my life’s work to be a bisexual menace.”
Stories we read this week that we think you should read
Unless otherwise noted, stories below were published by the Los Angeles Times.
Politics and immigration
- Court ruling narrows pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients
- Trump’s treatment of migrant kids prompts judge to appoint watchdogs to enforce rules
- Becerra pledges to debate Hilton — more than once — between now and Nov. 3
- ‘Coordination, not subordination’: Sheinbaum attacks U.S. ‘meddling’ in Mexico’s politics
- San Diego Padres minor league coach seized by ICE en route home to Arizona
- San Diego County kicks immigration agents out of shooting range. Sheriff says not so fast
- Congresswoman says target of ICE operation in fatal Maine shooting wasn’t up for removal (AP)
- ICE pitches legal insurance to help shield local officers who make immigration arrests (AP)
- Justice Department pushes to revive criminal case against Kilmar Abrego Garcia (AP)
- Trump administration pauses contentious border construction in Texas’ Big Bend National Park (AP)
Arts and entertainment
- Karol G’s Latin American fantasia lands elegantly at SoFi Stadium
- Ritchie Valens at 85: Chicano rockers are hosting a free tribute show in L.A. on Aug. 22
- ‘The De Los Podcast’: Pedro Tovar talks ‘Ella Baila Sola,’ his musical influences and owning a Golden Corral
- ‘Reading Rainbow’ host Mychal Threets says he is ‘seeking help’ and checks into hospital
- Paramount demands $1.9 billion from states, citing Warner deal delays
Southern California
- D.A. reduces charges against LAPD officer who recorded racist remarks by colleagues
- The L.A. mayoral poll was a fake. But was it illegal?
- The fake L.A. mayor poll adds to challenges facing the public opinion industry
- Polymarket bets on 2025 L.A. wildfires show just how ugly the online gambling market can be
- Blow to Westside child care: UCLA to close infant and toddler centers charging $3,000 a month
- How to save $2,000 a month in L.A.: Rent
