AI equals social for health info
A new KFF poll finds as many adults now turn to AI for health information as they do to social media — a major audience shift for fitness and wellness creators (kff.org). The move is being driven by rising healthcare costs and access concerns, so creators should tighten source‑citation and consider how AI tools factor into their advice (kff.org).
KFF’s Tracking Poll was fielded Feb. 24–Mar. 2, 2026, from a nationally representative sample of 1,343 U.S. adults. (files.kff.org) About 32% of adults reported using AI chatbots for health information, with 29% saying they used them for physical health information and 16% for mental health information. (kff.org) Younger adults show higher mental‑health use of AI: 28% of those ages 18–29 used AI for mental health or emotional wellbeing, versus 18% of ages 30–49 and roughly 10% of adults 50 and older. (kff.org) Insurance and income gaps appear: uninsured adults reported using AI for mental health at 30% versus 14% for insured adults, and 32% of adults with annual incomes under $40,000 cited cost‑related reasons for using AI. (kff.org) Users’ stated motivations include immediacy and privacy—65% of AI health users named wanting quick advice as a major reason, 41% said they used AI to look up information before seeing a provider, and 36% cited comfort doing so privately, while 77% of the public voiced concern about sharing personal medical information with AI tools. (kff.org) KFF’s past polling also finds pervasive skepticism about accuracy: a prior KFF survey reported 63% of the public and 56% of AI users were not confident chatbots provide accurate health information. (kff.org) KFF notes AI use still trails traditional health care providers and internet search engines as sources people consult for health information. (kff.org)
