Health Information Pt 1: Sources for women
Carolina Petrini of comScore surveys told CNN Money (2008) that "traditionally, women have relied on friends, family or a significant other for health-related information, including sexual health and contraception." Results released this month indicate that women are using the internet (60%) more than their friends (51%) to collect information about birth control, according to a new comScore survey. 82% of women asked medical professionals.
Petrini's assessment is consistent with Warner and Procaccino (2004), who looked specifically at women looking for "women's health information" -- but this seems to be a demographic difference, rather than a change in women's behavior. ComScore's sample was taken from women on the internet, while Warner's sample was approached in public libraries. ComScore's sample was aged 18-44, while Warner's sample's age median was near 45.
Warner and Procaccino found that women's top choices for information were:
I was really surprised that I couldn't find another survey about where adult women get their health information, since Warner and Procaccino is so not comparable. There are plenty of studies suggesting that teenagers get their (incredibly bad) information from friends -- and suggesting that they're starting to use the internet to find this information. This would strike me as a great thing, except for the fact that comScore found 35% of women were counting User-Generated Content as as health resource. That's just as bad as asking your friends; worse, because you don't know anything about the reliability of the person who wrote it.
I have fear, but I saw an interview with Penn Jillette on TV that gives his more optimistic view. Children raised in an internet culture will never expect to accept information as accurate. Jillette believes that the next generation will be much better than we are at detecting bullshit. I hope for his sake that he's right; he's got a daughter.
Petrini's assessment is consistent with Warner and Procaccino (2004), who looked specifically at women looking for "women's health information" -- but this seems to be a demographic difference, rather than a change in women's behavior. ComScore's sample was taken from women on the internet, while Warner's sample was approached in public libraries. ComScore's sample was aged 18-44, while Warner's sample's age median was near 45.
Warner and Procaccino found that women's top choices for information were:
- Doctor - 100%
- Book (medical/health) - 94%
- People with same condition - 89.4%
- Family or friends - 87.3%
- Nurses/Other medical professionals - 86.2%
- Pharmacist's drug information - 80%
- Website - 75.2%
I was really surprised that I couldn't find another survey about where adult women get their health information, since Warner and Procaccino is so not comparable. There are plenty of studies suggesting that teenagers get their (incredibly bad) information from friends -- and suggesting that they're starting to use the internet to find this information. This would strike me as a great thing, except for the fact that comScore found 35% of women were counting User-Generated Content as as health resource. That's just as bad as asking your friends; worse, because you don't know anything about the reliability of the person who wrote it.
I have fear, but I saw an interview with Penn Jillette on TV that gives his more optimistic view. Children raised in an internet culture will never expect to accept information as accurate. Jillette believes that the next generation will be much better than we are at detecting bullshit. I hope for his sake that he's right; he's got a daughter.