I was quite surprised by the findings that people still prefer to gather information related to personal health from sources other than the Internet. Because on March 17, 12010 the Pew Internet and American Life Project was released, it showed that 8 in 10 internet have looked online for health information. Many patients say the internet has had a significant impact on the way they care for themselves or for others. 20% of these patients are going to social networking sites where they are sharing what they know and learn from their peers.
But now a new survey by the Pew Internet Project in association with the California HealthCare Foundation) is contradicting the earlier study and suggests people search for health info mostly offline?. Those sources include friends, family members, and health professionals. “Still, mobile apps have a growing role in helping people find health information, particularly among young people, the report said. … Seventeen percent of cell phone owners have used their phone to look up health or medical information.” In addition, health-related mobile apps can “calculate disease risks, provide health tips, keep track of workouts, or count calories,” according to the report.
Isn’t this study highlighting the growing use of cel phones as way of accessing the internet to access this info? Gonna have to take a closer look at this
Tell us what do you think? We’d love to hear from you
Source:Kaiser Health News
