scholarly journals Health information on the internet: an issue of social inequality in public health

2004 ◽  
Vol 49 (6) ◽  
pp. 357-358
Author(s):  
Therese Stutz Steiger ◽  
Margreet Duetz Schmucki
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Inequality ◽  
Health Information ◽  
The Internet

Promoting online drug safety: Using public–private partnerships to deter illicit online drug sales

1969 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy K Mackey ◽  
Bryan A Liang
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Patient Safety ◽  
Global Health ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Drug Safety ◽  
Social Problem ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Critical Problem ◽  
Multiple Stakeholders ◽  
Counterfeit Drugs

Illicit online pharmacies selling counterfeit drugs in a global virtual marketplace remain a critical problem in global health. Yet they continue to operate with little regulation while growing numbers of consumers access the Internet for health information that may lead them to purchase dangerous drugs online. This global social problem requires immediate action to protect patient safety and public health. Public–private partnerships models represent a potentially effective way to address this issue through promoting mechanisms of collaboration and coordination of multiple stakeholders.

scholarly journals Public health information and statistics dissemination efforts for Indonesia on the Internet

2011 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Febiana Hanani ◽  
Takashi Kobayashi ◽  
Eitetsu Jo ◽  
Sawako Nakajima ◽  
Hiroshi Oyama
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Information ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Public Health Information

scholarly journals The Use of Avatar Counseling for HIV/AIDS Health Education: The Examination of Self-Identity in Avatar Preferences (Preprint)

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shantrel Canidate ◽  
Mark Hart
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Demographic Characteristics ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Demographic Survey ◽  
Public Health Workers ◽  
Hiv Aids

BACKGROUND The number of adults using the Internet to obtain health information is on the rise. An estimated 66% of the adults reportedly use the Internet to obtain health information related to a specific disease (ie, human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, HIV/AIDS). Previous research has demonstrated that health information seekers use the Internet to seek answers to stigma-laden questions from health avatars. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to identify patterns in the choice of avatar among health information seekers (patients or public health workers) using the Internet to obtain HIV/AIDS information and to describe the demographic characteristics (age, gender, and ethnicity) of health information seekers to determine whether they preferred an avatar that was similar to their own gender and ethnicity. METHODS The Rural South Public Health Training Center (RSPHTC) partnered with the New York State Department of Health to create the HIV/AIDS Avatar project. The avatar project was created to serve as an educational resource for public health workers by providing relevant and accurate information about HIV/AIDS. First, the user was instructed to choose one of the 8 avatars that voiced responses to 100 common questions and answers about HIV/AIDS. Next, the website gave users the option to complete a brief 3-question demographic survey. Finally, the demographic characteristics of each user were compared with the chosen avatar to determine whether they preferred an avatar that was similar to their own gender and ethnicity. RESULTS The avatar project website was loaded with 800 videos that included the answers to the top 100 questions about HIV/AIDS voiced by 8 avatars. A total of 1119 Web-based health information seekers completed the demographic survey upon accessing the website. Of these, 55.14% (617/1119) users were female. A total of 49.96% (559/1119) users were aged between 30 and 49 years. The ethnicity of the user and the avatar was found to have the strongest connection. All the users choose the female avatar matching their own ethnicity, followed by the male avatar. Additionally, the white female avatar was chosen the most by all users regardless of the age group or gender. CONCLUSIONS Web-based health information seekers using the Internet to access medical research information may feel more comfortable receiving the answers to HIV stigma-laden questions from avatars, rather than receiving information directly from a health care provider. Additionally, providers seeking to utilize avatars to deliver interventions in health care settings may benefit from offering individuals choices in how they receive health information. Having the ability to choose whom you seek information from may lead to an increase in knowledge and awareness and could motivate HIV-positive individuals to seek care.

scholarly journals Assessment of Health Information About COVID-19 Prevention on the Internet: Infodemiological Study

10.2196/18717 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. e18717 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ignacio Hernández-García ◽  
Teresa Giménez-Júlvez
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Health Information ◽  
The United States ◽  
World Health ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Health Organizations ◽  
Public Health Organizations ◽  
Google Search

Background The internet is a large source of health information and has the capacity to influence its users. However, the information found on the internet often lacks scientific rigor, as anyone may upload content. This factor is a cause of great concern to scientific societies, governments, and users. Objective The objective of our study was to investigate the information about the prevention of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the internet. Methods On February 29, 2020, we performed a Google search with the terms “Prevention coronavirus,” “Prevention COVID-19,” “Prevención coronavirus,” and “Prevención COVID-19”. A univariate analysis was performed to study the association between the type of authorship, country of publication, and recommendations to avoid COVID-19 according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Results In total, 80 weblinks were reviewed. Most of them were produced in the United States and Spain (n=58, 73%) by digital media sources and official public health organizations (n=60, 75%). The most mentioned WHO preventive measure was “wash your hands frequently” (n=65, 81%). A less frequent recommendation was to “stay home if you feel unwell” (n=26, 33%). The analysis by type of author (official public health organizations versus digital media) revealed significant differences regarding the recommendation to wear a mask when you are healthy only if caring for a person with suspected COVID-19 (odds ratio [OR] 4.39). According to the country of publication (Spain versus the United States), significant differences were detected regarding some recommendations such as “wash your hands frequently” (OR 9.82), “cover your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze” (OR 4.59), or “stay home if you feel unwell” (OR 0.31). Conclusions It is necessary to urge and promote the use of the websites of official public health organizations when seeking information on COVID-19 preventive measures on the internet. In this way, users will be able to obtain high-quality information more frequently, and such websites may improve their accessibility and positioning, given that search engines justify the positioning of links obtained in a search based on the frequency of access to them.

Does Scientific Publication Inform Public Discourse? A Case Study Observing Social Media Engagement Around Vaccinations

2020 ◽  
pp. 152483991989992
Author(s):  
Jordan L. Nelon ◽  
Michael Moscarelli ◽  
Payton Stupka ◽  
Christina Sumners ◽  
Taylor Uselton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Scientific Publication ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Scientific Publications ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Public Health Information

In the early 2000s, there was a shift in the use of the internet. Individuals on the internet began seeking information from other creators and creating their own content. These online communities allowed individuals to communicate across the globe, gravitating toward people like them or those who shared similar beliefs. Conversations around vaccinations have been particularly polarizing across social media even though scientific literature continually validates their safety and effectiveness. This study will explore whether online public discourse about vaccinations changes before and after major scientific publications, and will measure what is related to social engagement around vaccinations on Twitter. In September 2018, two weeks’ worth of Twitter posts ( n = 2,919) discussing vaccinations were collected, coded, and analyzed before and after two major 2014 scientific publications. Linear regression analyses examined variables related to engagement with vaccination-related Tweets pre- and postpublication. Antivaccine-related Tweets decreased by over 25% after scientific publications, while provaccine Tweets increased by 16.6%. Regression models suggest verification status and number of followers were the strongest predictors of Twitter engagement. Findings indicate that scientific publications might affect what people public health information people share online, and how people engage with online content. In a time when false information is easily spread online, this study suggests the need for continual scientific publication on “hot topics,” and urges researchers to partner with influential individuals on social media to disseminate effective, evidence-based, and user-friendly public health information to the public.

scholarly journals Association Between What People Learned About COVID-19 Using Web Searches and Their Behavior Toward Public Health Guidelines: Empirical Infodemiology Study (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ikpe Justice Akpan ◽  
Obianuju Genevieve Aguolu ◽  
Yawo Mamoua Kobara ◽  
Rouzbeh Razavi ◽  
Asuama A Akpan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Principal Components ◽  
Predictive Models ◽  
Conspiracy Theory ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Web Searches ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Health Measures

BACKGROUND The use of the internet and web-based platforms to obtain public health information and manage health-related issues has become widespread in this digital age. The practice is so pervasive that the first reaction to obtaining health information is to “Google it.” As SARS-CoV-2 broke out in Wuhan, China, in December 2019 and quickly spread worldwide, people flocked to the internet to learn about the novel coronavirus and the disease, COVID-19. Lagging responses by governments and public health agencies to prioritize the dissemination of information about the coronavirus outbreak through the internet and the World Wide Web and to build trust gave room for others to quickly populate social media, online blogs, news outlets, and websites with misinformation and conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in people’s deviant behaviors toward public health safety measures. OBJECTIVE The goals of this study were to determine what people learned about the COVID-19 pandemic through web searches, examine any association between what people learned about COVID-19 and behavior toward public health guidelines, and analyze the impact of misinformation and conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 pandemic on people’s behavior toward public health measures. METHODS This infodemiology study used Google Trends’ worldwide search index, covering the first 6 months after the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak (January 1 to June 30, 2020) when the public scrambled for information about the pandemic. Data analysis employed statistical trends, correlation and regression, principal component analysis (PCA), and predictive models. RESULTS The PCA identified two latent variables comprising past coronavirus epidemics (pastCoVepidemics: keywords that address previous epidemics) and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic (presCoVpandemic: keywords that explain the ongoing pandemic). Both principal components were used significantly to learn about SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 and explained 88.78% of the variability. Three principal components fuelled misinformation about COVID-19: misinformation (keywords “biological weapon,” “virus hoax,” “common cold,” “COVID-19 hoax,” and “China virus”), conspiracy theory 1 (ConspTheory1; keyword “5G” or “@5G”), and conspiracy theory 2 (ConspTheory2; keyword “ingest bleach”). These principal components explained 84.85% of the variability. The principal components represent two measurements of public health safety guidelines—public health measures 1 (PubHealthMes1; keywords “social distancing,” “wash hands,” “isolation,” and “quarantine”) and public health measures 2 (PubHealthMes2; keyword “wear mask”)—which explained 84.7% of the variability. Based on the PCA results and the log-linear and predictive models, ConspTheory1 (keyword “@5G”) was identified as a predictor of people’s behavior toward public health measures (PubHealthMes2). Although correlations of misinformation (keywords “COVID-19,” “hoax,” “virus hoax,” “common cold,” and more) and ConspTheory2 (keyword “ingest bleach”) with PubHealthMes1 (keywords “social distancing,” “hand wash,” “isolation,” and more) were <i>r</i>=0.83 and <i>r</i>=–0.11, respectively, neither was statistically significant (<i>P</i>=.27 and <i>P</i>=.13, respectively). CONCLUSIONS Several studies focused on the impacts of social media and related platforms on the spreading of misinformation and conspiracy theories. This study provides the first empirical evidence to the mainly anecdotal discourse on the use of web searches to learn about SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19.

scholarly journals Websites as a tool for public health education: determining the trustworthiness of health websites on Ebola disease

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronak Hamzehei ◽  
Masoumeh Ansari ◽  
Shahabedin Rahmatizadeh ◽  
Saeideh Valizadeh-Haghi
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Search Engines ◽  
English Language ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Emergency Situation ◽  
Financial Disclosure ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Web

Objectives: Health service providers use internet as a tool for the spreading of health information and people often go on the web to acquire information about a disease. A wide range of information with varying qualities and by authors with varying degrees of credibility has thus become accessible by the public. Most people believe that the health information available on the internet is reliable. This issue reveals the need for having a critical view of the health information available online that is directly related to people's life. The Ebola epidemic is an emergency situation in the international public health domain and the internet is regarded as an important source for obtaining information on this disease. Given the absence of studies on the trustworthiness of health websites on Ebola, the present study was conducted to assess the trustworthiness of websites which are focused on this disease.Methods: The term "Ebola" was searched in Google, Yahoo and Bing search engines. Google Chrome browser was used for this purpose with the settings fixed on yielding 10 results per page. The first 30 English language websites in each of the three search engines were evaluated manually by using the HONcode of conduct tool. Moreover, the official HONcode toolbar was used to identify websites that had been officially certified by HON foundation. Results: Almost the half of the retrieved websites were commercial (49%). Complementarity was the least-observed criterion (37%) in all the websites retrieved from all three-search engines. Justifiability, Transparency and Financial Disclosure had been completely observed (100%).Discussion: The present study showed that only three criteria (Justifiability, Transparency and Financial Disclosure) out of the eight HON criteria were observed in the examined websites. Like other health websites, the websites concerned with Ebola are not reliable and should be used with caution.Conclusion: Considering the lack of a specific policy about the publication of health information on the web, it is necessary for healthcare providers to advise their patients to use only credible websites. Furthermore, teaching them the criteria for assessing the trustworthiness of health websites would be helpful.

Research on the Application of Health Information System in Community Residents Based on the Internet of Things

2014 ◽  
Vol 998-999 ◽  
pp. 1370-1373
Author(s):  
Hong Min Liu ◽  
Gui Ying Yang ◽  
Qiang Li
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Information System ◽  
Internet Of Things ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Health Information System ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Community Residents ◽  
Broad Public Health ◽  
The Internet Of Things

This article introduces the services and development of the Internet of Things, and analyzes the application of Health Information System in Community Residents Based on the Internet of Things. The Internet of things has particularly novel implications in the area of public health. This is due to (1) The rapid and widespread adoption of powerful contemporary Smartphone's; (2) The increasing availability and use of health and fitness sensors, wearable sensor patches, smart watches, wireless-enabled digital tattoos and ambient sensors; and (3) The nature of public health to implicitly involve connectivity with and the acquisition of data in relation to large numbers of individuals up to population scale. Of particular relevance in relation to the Internet of Things and public health is the need for privacy and anonymity of users. It should be noted that Internet of Things capabilities are not inconsistent with maintaining privacy, due to the focus of public health on aggregate data not individual data and broad public health interventions.

scholarly journals Assessment of Health Information About COVID-19 Prevention on the Internet: Infodemiological Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ignacio Hernández-García ◽  
Teresa Giménez-Júlvez
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Health Information ◽  
The United States ◽  
World Health ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Health Organizations ◽  
Public Health Organizations ◽  
Google Search

BACKGROUND The internet is a large source of health information and has the capacity to influence its users. However, the information found on the internet often lacks scientific rigor, as anyone may upload content. This factor is a cause of great concern to scientific societies, governments, and users. OBJECTIVE The objective of our study was to investigate the information about the prevention of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the internet. METHODS On February 29, 2020, we performed a Google search with the terms “Prevention coronavirus,” “Prevention COVID-19,” “Prevención coronavirus,” and “Prevención COVID-19”. A univariate analysis was performed to study the association between the type of authorship, country of publication, and recommendations to avoid COVID-19 according to the World Health Organization (WHO). RESULTS In total, 80 weblinks were reviewed. Most of them were produced in the United States and Spain (n=58, 73%) by digital media sources and official public health organizations (n=60, 75%). The most mentioned WHO preventive measure was “wash your hands frequently” (n=65, 81%). A less frequent recommendation was to “stay home if you feel unwell” (n=26, 33%). The analysis by type of author (official public health organizations versus digital media) revealed significant differences regarding the recommendation to wear a mask when you are healthy only if caring for a person with suspected COVID-19 (odds ratio [OR] 4.39). According to the country of publication (Spain versus the United States), significant differences were detected regarding some recommendations such as “wash your hands frequently” (OR 9.82), “cover your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze” (OR 4.59), or “stay home if you feel unwell” (OR 0.31). CONCLUSIONS It is necessary to urge and promote the use of the websites of official public health organizations when seeking information on COVID-19 preventive measures on the internet. In this way, users will be able to obtain high-quality information more frequently, and such websites may improve their accessibility and positioning, given that search engines justify the positioning of links obtained in a search based on the frequency of access to them.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document