More Women Than Men
Use Web for Health Data

LONDON (Reuters) - Although men use the Internet more often to send personal e-mails and to research products, women are more likely to search for health information online for themselves and their families.

A new survey by market analysts Datamonitor shows that when it comes to gathering health information, 44% of women in the United States and Europe search the Internet compared to 32% of men.

"Young Internet users often conduct online health research on behalf of older family members who do not use the Internet," Yvonne MacPherson, a healthcare analyst at the company, said on Monday.

Consumers are becoming more aware of medical issues and products and what it takes to remain healthy. Nearly 80% of people in the United States and 62% of Europeans consider themselves more health conscious than most people, according to the survey.

The poll, which involved interviews with 4,531 adults across France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United States, found that consumers gather information from government, university, pharmaceutical company and health information Web sites.

More than half of the respondents to the poll said they had searched the Internet for medical information in the past year.

"In the future, these veteran Internet users will continue to use the Internet for their own health, raising the overall numbers who use the Internet for this purpose," MacPherson added in a statement.

The company predicts that drug company sites will become increasing popular as the population ages.

"Many product sites are already including disease management tools that draw prescription holders to the site. Some also include features targeting an older audience, such as options to view material in larger print or mnemonic tools such as medication diaries and e-mail reminders," MacPherson said.

Reference Source 89

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