Most Teens Rely on The Internet for Health Information: Survey

• comments
• 
• 

Approximately eight out of 10 U.S. teenagers use the internet to search for health information but the World Wide Web only ranks fourth behind other more reliable sources, according to a new survey.

The national survey, "Teens, Health, and Technology," by Northwestern University researchers is based on data gathered from more than a thousand teenagers, aged 13 to 18, in the late 2014 to early 2015.

According to the published research, teenagers use the internet primarily to look for health information with fitness and exercise, diet and nutrition, and stress being the top 3 most searched topics. In terms of credible health information, teenagers still turn to parents, health classes in school and health care professionals. The internet only ranks fourth.

School research and projects are the most common reasons why teenagers search for health information online. Information on how to take care of themselves is the secondary reason and the rest involves checking for symptoms, information on a certain disease or medication and topics they cannot discuss with their parents.

"This study reinforces the importance of being involved in your teenager's life," said Dr. Jodi Gold from New York City's Corneill University, according to Medicine Net. "While teenagers go to the Internet for health information, they still get most of their health information from their parents."

Dr. Gold, who is not involved in the survey, added that there are benefits in teenagers going online to find information. "There is so much hype that the Internet is pulling families and relationships apart. Actually, teenagers are going to the Internet to cultivate healthier and safer lifestyles," she said.

Meanwhile, an expert expressed concern over teens using the internet for information.

"Careful discussion with teens about seeking information online is critical since teens may act on the information they receive and may end up harming rather than helping themselves," Dr. Danelle Fisher, from California's Providence Saint John's Health Center, said, reports Health.com. 

"The Internet is a wealth of information, but not all of this information is accurate. Teens and adults should always analyze critically the source of information when trying to look up something online and use reputable sources if possible," Dr. Fisher added.

However, most teenagers are knowledgeable about which sites to trust for information. Overall, 37 percent trust ".edu" sites while only 14 percent trust ".com" sites. In line with this, more than two-thirds of teenagers who participated in the survey have data mining and health privacy concerns.

The survey was presented on June 2 at a Northwestern conference in Washington D.C.