Health Information Pt 2: Sources for men
A Pew/Internet survey (2005) estimated that 10% of online adults looked for health information each day. 75% of men use the internet to get health and medical information (compared to 85% of women in this survey). This number is surprisingly high, given a number of studies that indicate that men rely heavily on their doctors and wives for health information. This may be because men distrust sources such as books, articles, and personnel at health food stores and gyms (Worsley, 1989).
Levinson et al (2005) found that men were more likely than women to rely on their doctor for both knowledge and decision making about their health, while McCaughan and McKenna (2007) found that men's partners researched cancer for them after diagnosis. After a heart attack, men were more satisfied with their doctor's briefing than women were, according to Stewart et al (2004). Stewart did find that these men wanted more information about one topic: sexual function.
I had another one of those "fuck you, Google" moments. You know, when you search for X, and it says "Did you mean Y?" where Y is stereotypical? In this case, I searched for "health seeking gss men" (GSS: General Social Survey) . I got "Did you mean health seeking gay men?"
So. For heart attack and cancer, men rely on their doctors and wives for information, but 75% of them are on the internet looking for something. Something they don't feel they're getting complete information about from their doctors. And this is a change from the 1990's. Hm. Viagra was approved in the U.S. in 1998. Just sayin'
Levinson et al (2005) found that men were more likely than women to rely on their doctor for both knowledge and decision making about their health, while McCaughan and McKenna (2007) found that men's partners researched cancer for them after diagnosis. After a heart attack, men were more satisfied with their doctor's briefing than women were, according to Stewart et al (2004). Stewart did find that these men wanted more information about one topic: sexual function.
I had another one of those "fuck you, Google" moments. You know, when you search for X, and it says "Did you mean Y?" where Y is stereotypical? In this case, I searched for "health seeking gss men" (GSS: General Social Survey) . I got "Did you mean health seeking gay men?"
So. For heart attack and cancer, men rely on their doctors and wives for information, but 75% of them are on the internet looking for something. Something they don't feel they're getting complete information about from their doctors. And this is a change from the 1990's. Hm. Viagra was approved in the U.S. in 1998. Just sayin'