scholarly journals The Availability and Acquisition of Illicit Anabolic Androgenic Steroids and Testosterone Preparations on the Internet

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 1352-1357 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Abram McBride ◽  
Culley C. Carson ◽  
Robert M. Coward
Keyword(s):  
Credit Card ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
The United States ◽  
Consumer Information ◽  
Anabolic Androgenic Steroids ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Erectile Dysfunction Medication ◽  
Androgenic Steroids ◽  
Typical Consumer ◽  
Google Search

The lifetime prevalence of anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) use in the United States is over 1%. Recent reports have suggested AAS can easily be obtained over the Internet without a prescription, but this has been poorly studied. This study focused on determining the availability and ease of purchase for AAS, testosterone, and other non-AAS therapies on the Internet from the perspective of a typical consumer. A Google search was performed and the top-ranking sites offering AAS for sale were individually evaluated for selection of AAS offered, the purchasing process, and additional consumer information to support AAS use. The current results revealed that 87% of sites offered commonly used forms of AAS, injectable testosterone, and non-AAS hormone therapies. Seventy-five percent offered at least one postcycle recovery agent and 62% offered at least one erectile dysfunction medication. No site required a prescription for purchase of any substance, 75% accepted common forms of payment including credit card, and all sites were supplied by unregulated international pharmacies providing shipment to home addresses with disclaimers that consumers are liable to local laws. Seventy-five percent of sites provided specific cycle and stacking recommendations, 62% provided postcycle recovery information, but only one site offered information on non-AAS alternatives. In conclusion, AAS, injectable testosterone, and other non-AAS therapies are readily available and remarkably easy to purchase on the Internet without a prescription. It is of paramount importance that clinicians are aware of this considerable public health problem given the detrimental physiologic effects including infertility and sexual dysfunction.

Cybermedicine, Telemedicine, and Data Protection in the United States

2009 ◽  
pp. 347-369
Author(s):  
Karin Mika
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Data Protection ◽  
The United States ◽  
Consumer Information ◽  
Expert Advice ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Actual Case ◽  
Consumer Privacy ◽  
Privacy Laws

This chapter provides an overview of law relating to online and Internet medical practice, data protection, and consumer information privacy. It provides a comprehensive overview of federal (HIPAA) and state privacy laws, concluding that both those legal resources leave gaps in consumer protection and provide no real penalties for violating the laws. The authors educate the readers to the legal and data protection problems consumers will encounter in purchasing medical and health services on the Internet. Furthermore, the authors recount some actual case studies and follow those with expert advice for those Internet consumers who wish to be not merely informed, but also safe. The authors not only educate the readers to the lack of protection afforded to them but also advocate throughout the chapter that the United States must enact more federal protection for the consumer in order to deter privacy violations and punish criminal, negligent, and wilful violations of personal consumer privacy.

Cybermedicine, Telemedicine, and Data Protection in the United States

2011 ◽  
pp. 274-296
Author(s):  
Karin Mika
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Data Protection ◽  
The United States ◽  
Consumer Information ◽  
Expert Advice ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Actual Case ◽  
Consumer Privacy ◽  
Privacy Laws

This chapter provides an overview of law relating to online and Internet medical practice, data protection, and consumer information privacy. It provides a comprehensive overview of federal (HIPAA) and state privacy laws, concluding that both those legal resources leave gaps in consumer protection and provide no real penalties for violating the laws. The authors educate the readers to the legal and data protection problems consumers will encounter in purchasing medical and health services on the Internet. Furthermore, the authors recount some actual case studies and follow those with expert advice for those Internet consumers who wish to be not merely informed, but also safe. The authors not only educate the readers to the lack of protection afforded to them but also advocate throughout the chapter that the United States must enact more federal protection for the consumer in order to deter privacy violations and punish criminal, negligent, and wilful violations of personal consumer privacy.

scholarly journals Online Information About Periviable Birth: Quality Assessment (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adriane F Haragan ◽  
Carly A Zuwiala ◽  
Katherine P Himes
Keyword(s):  
Medical Information ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Online Information ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Comfort Care ◽  
Treatment Choices ◽  
News Stories ◽  
Google Search

BACKGROUND Over 20,000 parents in the United States face the challenge of participating in decisions about whether to use life support for their infants born on the cusp of viability every year. Clinicians must help families grasp complex medical information about their baby’s immediate prognosis as well as the risk for significant long-term morbidity. Patients faced with this decision want supplemental information and frequently seek medical information on the Internet. Empirical evidence about the quality of websites is lacking. OBJECTIVE We sought to evaluate the quality of online information available about periviable birth and treatment options for infants born at the cusp of viability. METHODS We read a counseling script to 20 pregnant participants that included information typically provided by perinatal and neonatal providers when periviable birth is imminent. The women were then asked to list terms they would use to search the Internet if they wanted additional information. Using these search terms, two reviewers evaluated the content of websites obtained via a Google search. We used two metrics to assess the quality of websites. The first was the DISCERN instrument, a validated questionnaire designed to assess the quality of patient-targeted health information for treatment choices. The second metric was the Essential Content Tool (ECT), a tool designed to address key components of counseling around periviable birth as outlined by professional organizations. DISCERN scores were classified as low quality if scores were 2, fair quality if scores were 3, and high quality if scores were 4 or higher. Scores of 6 or higher on the ECT were considered high quality. Interreviewer agreement was assessed by calculated kappa statistic. RESULTS A total of 97 websites were reviewed. Over half (57/97, 59%) were for-profit sites, news stories, or personal blogs; 28% (27/97) were government or medical sites; and 13% (13/97) were nonprofit or advocacy sites. The majority of sites scored poorly in DISCERN questions designed to assess the reliability of information presented as well as data regarding treatment choices. Only 7% (7/97) of the websites were high quality as defined by the DISCERN tool. The majority of sites did not address the essential content defined by the ECT. Importantly, only 18% of websites (17/97) indicated that there are often a number of reasonable approaches to newborn care when faced with periviable birth. Agreement was strong, with kappa ranging from .72 to .91. CONCLUSIONS Most information about periviable birth found on the Internet using common search strategies is of low quality. News stories highlighting positive outcomes are disproportionately represented. Few websites discuss comfort care or how treatment decisions impact quality of life.

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.

scholarly journals Health Tourism and Alternative Medicine: a Study on the Offer and Profile of Establishments nearby Two Hospitals in the City of Porto Alegre-Brazil

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 20
Author(s):  
Izabel Cristina Schander de Almeida ◽  
Helena Ribeiro Charko
Keyword(s):  
Alternative Medicine ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Other ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Porto Alegre ◽  
Health Tourism ◽  
Medical Treatments ◽  
Traditional Therapies ◽  
Google Search ◽  
The City

Alternative medicine is a term that describes medical treatments that are used instead of traditional therapies. About 40 percent of adults in the United States say they use some form of alternative medicine. We analyze establishments that offer alternative treatments and are located in the vicinity of hospitals that receive health tourists. We found 10 establishments (through Google search) but only 04 responded to the survey. The reason for not performing in the other 06 was: 01 was not in attendance, in 03 it was not possible to contact, 01 was not found and 01 refused to respond. Among those who answered, 03 were not aware of health tourism. All attend patients from outside Porto Alegre and 03 from other states and countries. The percentage of out-of-town patient visits ranged from 0 to 10 percent in two establishments and 31 to 40 percent in two others. Chiropractic and Reike were the most commonly offered therapies, followed by Bach Flowers and others such as Orthomolecular Medicine, Chromotherapy and Aromatherapy. All the establishments have pages in the internet but only in 01 it is possible to obtain information in another language (in English, in the page of the parent company). We conclude that health tourism is still unknown by alternative medicine establishments and that even among those who receive patients from other sources, the movement can be considered small in half of them. Lack of sites in other languages may be a barrier to foreign tourists.

scholarly journals Characteristics and Attitudes of Men Using Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (AAS): A Survey of 2385 Men

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 155798832096653
Author(s):  
Alex K. Bonnecaze ◽  
Thomas O’Connor ◽  
Joseph A. Aloi
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Body Image ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Participation Rate ◽  
The United States ◽  
Anabolic Androgenic Steroids ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Body Image Disorders ◽  
Androgenic Steroids

Additional characterization of patients using anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) is needed to improve harm reduction and cessation resources for patients. Our group sought to expand upon the currently limited data regarding AAS use by performing a web-based survey assessing experiences of males using AAS. Participants included men over the age of 18 with history of AAS use within the past 5 years. Data were collected between August 2019 and April 2020. Primary outcome measures included age when starting AAS, dose of AAS, motivations for use, experiences with health-care professionals, and rate of successful cessation. The survey was accessed 3640 times, resulting in 2385 completed surveys meeting the inclusion criteria (68.93% participation rate). Average participant age was 31.69 ± 10.09 years. Over half of respondents were from the United States ( n = 1271, 53.3%). Motives to use AAS included improving appearance ( n = 1959, 82.2%), strength gain ( n = 1192, 50%), and self-esteem/body image issues ( n = 712, 29.87%). Participants rated physicians poorly, regarding knowledge of AAS (4.08 ± 2.23). Most participants did not reveal AAS use to their health-care providers ( n = 1338, 56.1%); of those that did, 55.30% ( n = 579) reported feeling discriminated against for their use. Of 46.16% ( n = 1101) attempting AAS cessation, 60.22% ( n = 663) were unsuccessful. Challenges in the management of AAS use include early onset of use, supraphysiologic doses used, and frequently present body image disorders stress. Distrust of health-care providers, poor cessation rates, and lack of physician training further exacerbate this. These findings should serve to reinforce previous calls to action for further research on the treatment of AAS use disorder.

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