Released September 18, 2009
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - In 2006, about 80 percent of American Internet users - roughly 113 million adults - have searched the Internet for one of at least 17 health topics, according to the Pew Research Center.
Searching for "diabetes" at http://www.google.com will return about 80 million results. "Cancer" returns about 187 million and "headache" returns about 28 million, which can make it hard to sort the good information from the bad.
To complicate matters, 75 percent of Americans check the source and date of their online health information "only sometimes," "hardly ever" or "never," Pew reported.
"There are Web sites on nearly every conceivable health topic and no rules overseeing the quality of the information posted on the Internet," said LaVona Traywick, assistant professor of gerontology for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. "Knowing how to choose which Web site to trust is important when dealing with your health."
The first step to decide whether information is reliable is checking the Web site's sponsor.
Usually, health Web sites sponsored by the federal government, which can be identified by a ".gov" at the end of the site name, are reliable sources for health information.
Likewise, "large professional organizations, such as the Arthritis Foundation, www.arthritis.org, the U of A Division of Agriculture at http://www.uaex.edu, and well-known medical schools, such as the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, http://www.uams.edu, may also be good sources of health information," Traywick said.
Commercial Web sites, such as businesses and pharmaceutical companies, are identified by a ".com." They can be good sources of information, but the content may be driven by financial interests. In such cases, it's good to know who reviews the information.
"Dependable Web sites will tell you where the health information came from and how it has been reviewed," Traywick said. "There is a big difference between a Web site developed by a person with a financial interest in a topic versus a Web site developed using strong scientific evidence. Reliable health information comes from scientific research that has been conducted in government, university or private laboratories."
It's also important to maintain a common sense approach.
"If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is," Traywick said. "See if you can find other Web sites that give the same information."
Also, beware of fraud. Typically, Web sites should never ask for a social security number. If a site seems legitimate and asks for personal information, contact its sponsor by phone or e-mail. The sponsor's contact information can be found by clicking "Contact Us," which is usually along the top, to the side, or at the bottom of a Web page.
Lastly, it's important to make sure all information is up-to-date.
"Some of the information that was relevant is now no longer current," Traywick said. "As medical advances and new research emerge, the recommendations change. Just note: not all older information is bad; there is much general health information that is tried and true and doesn't change.
"Most importantly, talk to your doctor," she said.
--30—
http://www.uaex.edu/news/september2009/0918healthsites.htm
Writer: Elizabeth Fortune, (501) 671-2120, efortune@uaex.edu
