The pervasive spread of false information, whether intentional (disinformation) or believed to be true (misinformation), poses significant risks in areas like politics, the environment, and public health. Despite fact-checking efforts, the rapid dissemination of falsehoods often outpaces these measures. Researchers have thus explored prebunking strategies based on inoculation theory. This theory posits that raising awareness of the issue, along with providing controlled exposure to small doses of manipulated information, can bolster mental defenses against persuasion. This research evaluated a WHO campaign using this approach to tackle disinformation. The study involved 243 participants divided into experimental and control groups, exposed to simulated social media posts—half using common disinformation tactics and half not. Both groups received a pre-intervention block of 12 items (6 manipulated, 6 unmanipulated), followed by an online campaign: the experimental group received an anti-disinformation campaign, while the control group received a campaign on healthy habits. A post-intervention block with 12 new items was then presented. Participants evaluated the truthfulness, willingness to share, intention to verify, and the novelty of the information before and after the intervention. Results showed that the experimental group, post-intervention, perceived information as less truthful and novel, showed increased intent to verify it, and decreased willingness to share it. This suggests that the campaign effectively raised awareness and skepticism about misinformation, though it did not significantly enhance participants' ability to recognize persuasive techniques in online content. In conclusion, passive inoculation campaigns can generate protective responses against disinformation but may not necessarily improve skills in identifying manipulative tactics
