Internet Use: Are Young People Taking Charge of Their Health?

Overall, in 2010, 45% of 15- to 30-year-olds—and especially women—used the Internet for health-related issues, compared with one-third of the general population. Fifteen percent reported a change in how they manage their health as a result of using the Internet, and 5% reported an impact on the frequency of their medical visits—proportions higher than those among 15- to 75-year-olds. Nearly 80% of young people who used the Internet for health-related information considered the information they found online to be credible most of the time. Those who have not used the Internet explain that they feel sufficiently informed through other means (75%), that it is better to see a doctor (74%), and that they are wary of health-related information on the Internet (67%). [author’s abstract]

Author(s): Beck F, Nguyen-thanh V, Richard J.B, Renahy E

Publishing year: 2013

Pages: 102-112

In relation to

Our latest news

news

Growing Up with Screens. A special report in *La Santé en action* No. 474,...

news

Seniors, pregnant women, and nursing home staff: What is the status of their...

news

Winter Illnesses: A Dynamic and Accessible Way to Track the Spread of...