Web site health info perceptions studied

STATE COLLEGE, Pa., Feb. 9 (UPI) -- A U.S. study suggests health information written by a doctor is rated as more credible when it appears on a Web site than in a blog or on an Internet homepage.

The findings of the Pennsylvania State University-College of New Jersey study of college students' perceptions are said to highlight the relative importance of different online sources to people who seek health information on the Internet.

"Most people look for health information online by keying disease symptoms into various search engines," said Penn State Professor Shyam Sundar. "But the results of that search could range from experts at the Mayo Clinic to somebody's personal blog."

Sundar and Assistant Professor Yifeng Hu of the College of New Jersey, Ewing, N.J., said they wanted to see how people act on the health information they receive, and whether they recommend it to others or forward it to friends online.

The researchers said they found study participants were more likely to believe -- and make use of -- information on a Web site from a source identified as an expert than from a layperson. Health information on the Web sites of TV, radio, and newspapers was not included in the study

The findings appear in the journal Communication Research.