In August, the Pew Internet & American Life Project updated its ongoing survey examining the percentage of Americans seeking health information online. Pew currently estimates that 75% of US adults have looked for health content using the Web and 10% did so on a "typical day."
Clearly, the health Web has assumed critical importance in many Americans' lives. Following is an overview of key data that will help you better understand how Dr. Internet is evolving.
- Yes, Minorities Are Not Only Online, But They Are Actively Using The Internet For Health Purposes: Research from Pew indicates that Internet access disparities between minority groups and the general population are steadily narrowing. In addition, 76% of white Internet users look for online health information versus 65% of African Americans and 71% of English-speaking HIspanics.
- Many Americans Visit Dr. Web First: A new study by Manhattan Research indicates that -- for the first time -- US adults view the Internet rather than physicians as their most important source of medical information.
- Pay Attention To Internet Access Disparities Between Spanish- & English- Speaking HIspanics: Pew has found that there are significant gaps in Internet access within the Hispanic population depending on English-language proficiency. English-speaking Hispanics are much more likely to be online. This means that communications and marketing efforts targeted toward this demographic should focus on other media channels, including television. For example, the Pew Hispanic Center reports that 40% of Hispanics "who receive any health-related information" get it from Spanish-language television.
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This summer, Envision Solutions released two major studies examining how the Internet influences medical decision-making and the evolving health blogosphere.
Trust & The Health Web
We know that many Americans are using the Internet to find health information. However, how is this content influencing their medical decisions? This study indicates that more than 85 million Americans have doubted a medical professional's opinion or diagnosis because it conflicted with information they read on the Internet. Click here to learn more about this intriguing research.
The Evolving Health Blogosphere
This study provides the most detailed portrait of the health blogosphere to date. It reveals that millions of Americans are actively writing on health-focused blogs. To learn more about this research, please click here.
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