Pew survey: Most online health seekers start at search engine

 Pew survey: Most online health seekers start at search engine

A new survey from the Pew Internet and American Life Project shows that eight in 10 Internet users--about 113 million adults--have searched online for information about at least one of 17 health topics. Most searchers--66%--started their health searches at a search engine, whereas 27% started at a health-related Web site. Younger health information seekers were more likely to start their search at a search engine. For example, 74% of respondents aged 18–29 started at a search engine, compared with 65% of those aged 30–49. Thirty-four percent of those aged 65 and older started at a specific health Web site. Also, health seekers are more likely to be women. The Pew report showed that 82% of online women have searched the Web for health information, compared to 77% of men.