Health misinformation has increasingly been recognized as a significant global public health concern. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted how false or misleading health information can influence individual and community health behaviours, reduce trust in public health measures, and negatively affect health outcomes. In South Africa, misinformation remains a challenge because of persistent health and socioeconomic inequalities. These problems are often amplified by limited access to reliable health information, lower health and digital literacy, and greater reliance on informal communication networks for health advice. This shapes not only what information is available, but by how it travels through social networks. In the underserved communities of the Cape Flats, WhatsApp is an important channel through which community members share health information with family, friends, and wider social networks. As messages are repeatedly forwarded and retold, details, meaning, or accuracy may change along the way. This research used community members reported WhatsApp experiences and fictional WhatsApp scenarios, to explore participant reported communication patterns and perceived health information degradation are consistent with the selected mechanisms of the Multiplex Misinformation Dynamics Model within WhatsApp communication networks in Cape Flats, Cape Town. The study’s findings highlight the importance of trusted relationships, credible evidence, and personal experience in shaping whether health information is accepted and shared. By centring community experiences, this study highlights opportunities to strengthen trusted health information pathways and support more effective verification and correction of misinformation in underserved communities.
