Technology Trend: Teens and Online Health Research

Youth, like adults, do not have a clear idea of where to look when searching for health information online.

Lots of health information can be found online, and many websites exist to offer advice on conditions and treatments. Youth are among those seeking out advice. A recent study on teen online behavior found that more than half of teens have gone online for information about mental health, sexual or general wellness issues.

Not surprisingly, the study found that youth health concerns were different from those of the general population. Their top worries were sexually transmitted diseases, followed by drugs, unplanned pregnancy, unhealthy relationships, depression, alcohol use, eating disorders and cyberbullying. The rankings were fairly consistent across sex and age, from 13 to 24. It was conducted by a trio of media, sexual health and youth leadership organizations called Ypulse, ISIS, Inc. and YouthNoise and published in late 2008.

In contrast,  Pew Internet & American Life Project Report, “Online Health Search 2006,” a survey of the general population, said the top four health topics searched online were: specific diseases; specific medical treatment; diet, nutrition and nutritional supplements; and exercise or fitness. Sexual health information came in fifteenth and problems with drugs or alcohol ranked seventeenth among all ages.

In addition to having specific health concerns, youth behave differently online from the general population. Being the online generation, youth are not satisfied with receiving information, they are also likely to talk about their concerns with others. Seventeen percent of respondents had visited online confessional sites or message boards to share personal information and talk about their health and wellness worries. Only about 10 percent used more traditional support services such as phone hotlines.

For the most part, teens who had asked peers for advice online had found this experience to be a positive one, according to the Ypulse survey, with 87% of that group reporting good experiences – they felt reassured, or less alone, or relieved to have told someone. But open-response questions elicited advice from youth to check the rules and environment of the site before sharing anything personal. Some discussion areas are more affirming, and some more combative, than others. “Make sure there are no ‘haters’ allowed,” said one response. The survey does not name any of these online “confessional sites”, but a Google search for teen health forums fetches many sites with conversations about the issues that this survey found were most important to youth.

Another recent survey highlights just how much they are confessing. A group of pediatric researchers at the University of Washington found that 54% of 18-year-olds’ MySpace pages contained “risk behavior information”, 41% referenced substance abuse and 14% referenced violence. It also found that youth were advising each other, often erroneously, on how to deal with their health concerns. The study concludes that social networking Web sites present a good opportunity for health promotion among youth.

Googling for health

The most popular site for searching health and wellness information was Webmd.com, cited by 15% of the youth surveyed. But the survey also highlighted a big hole in the Internet: a dearth of authoritative online health resources. Almost 19% percent of youth surveyed had used a general word search on Google, Wikipedia or Yahoo to find information about their health concerns. A total of about 3 percent used Health.com, Plannedparenthood.com or Mayoclinic.com.

The survey did not ask youth whether they had gone on from word searches to find more authoritative sites, but this statistic suggests that there are “few well known sites that serve as a hub for youth-friendly health information.” In other words, teens don’t really know where to look or whom to ask online. Neither do adults – the 2006 Pew report announced the same results.

The authors of the study point to the need for an online health resource for teens with offline referrals or communities. Ideally, they said, it would be overseen by health professional and incorporate peer advice. Like the University of Washington study, it also suggests that there should be health professional present where youth already congregate – Myspace, Facebook and other social networking sites, “to integrate positive healthy norms, critical health information and in-person resources for youth in crisis” – in other words, an informed person to talk to.

You may wish to consult:

Moreno, MA; parks, MR; Zimmerman, FJ; Brito, TE; Christakis, DA. (2009) Display of Health Risk Behaviors on MySpace by Adolescents: Prevalence and Associations. Arch Pediatric Adolesc Med., 163, 37-34, retrieved 18 February 2009

Ypulse

ISIS, a nonprofit that strives to develop new sexual health resources.

YouthNoise, online community developing technology to address issues important to youth.

“Online Health Search 2006 Pew Internet & American Life Project. Retrieved 29 January 2008