 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Cam Escoffery, PhD, MPH, CHES, Career MPH Program, Emory University, Rollins School of Public Health, 1525 Clifton Road, NE, Room 106, Atlanta, GA 30322, 404-727-4701, cescoff@sph.emory.edu, Kathleen R. Miner, PhD, MPH, CHES, School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30329-4218, Daniel D Adame, Department of Physical Education and Health, Emory University, 300 Woodruff Physical Education Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, and Susan O. Butler, EdD, CHES, Rollins School of Public Health, Dept. of BSHE, Emory University, 1525 Clifton Road, Room 104, Atlanta, GA 30322.
The Internet is becoming a significant source for health information for the general public. The college population has the added advantage of extensive access to the Internet. An assessment use of the Internet for health and medical information by this population is critical in understanding their use, what types of information they seek, and attitudes toward the Internet. A survey was administered to students in an undergraduate health education course at a southeastern university to explore use of the Internet, Internet use for health information and attitudes about the utility of the information, identify commonly researched health topics, and examine attitudes toward the use of the Internet for health information. Students also ranked the importance of different criteria such as credibility of the source, information accuracy, confidentiality, and ease of navigation when they review health websites. This study has the potential for providing a mini- assessment that college health services may employ to discover their students’ health-seeking behaviors on the Internet. Implications and recommendations for health promotion for college students in general and college health services will be presented.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: College Students, Internet
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.