Women Search for Wellness Information Online

BRIEF:

Commercial health sites most popular with online health seekers

Two out of three (66.2%) Web users use the Internet to gather wellness
information, according to a Burst Media survey of nearly 1,700 Web users
18 years and older about how they research wellness topics online. The
survey found that commercial wellness and health Web sites, such as
Wellness.com and WebMD.com, condition-specific sites, blogs, and forums
are the most popular resources to turn to for wellness information, with
more than one-third of respondents using these resources. Commercial
health/wellness Web sites are particularly popular with women 55 years
and older and respondents with a household income of $100,000. Other
resources people use for gathering wellness information include
healthcare provider Web sites (27.6%), government Web sites (27.6%), and
corporate Web sites (18.2%).

FULL STORY:

Women Search for Wellness Information Online

Business Wire via NewsEdge :

Business Editors/Technology Editors

BURLINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 17, 2008--To understand the
Internet's role in consumers' search for wellness information, Burst
Media surveyed nearly 1,700 Web users 18 years and older in May 2008
about how they research wellness topics online. Wellness research
encompasses many topics including fitness, diet, health and beauty.
According to the survey, two out of three (66.2%) respondents use the
Internet to gather wellness information. Overall, nutrition information
is the most popular wellness topic to research online (38.4%).

The Burst survey found that one-third (33.9%) of respondents research
wellness information at least once per week and 10.7% search daily.
Respondents 25-34 years are the most active consumers of online wellness
information. Among this segment, 45.9% research wellness information
online at least once per week and one in six (16.3%) search for wellness
information daily.

The Burst survey also revealed several interesting findings about how
wellness information is procured online. These include:

-- Gender, not age, largest factor in reliance on online wellness
information: Women are significantly more likely than men to use the
Internet as a wellness resource - 71.7% versus 60.5%. This usage is
fairly consistent among all female age segments, rising from 66.0% among
women 18-24 years to 75% among women 55 years and older. Interestingly,
women 65 years and older are also very active consumers of online
wellness information. In fact, among this group 18.0% say they search
daily for online wellness information.

Among men, usage of the Internet as a wellness resource jumps
significantly with respondents 45 years and older.

-- More education = Greater reliance on online wellness resources:
Survey respondents with some college and college graduates are
significantly more likely than respondents with only a high school
education to seek wellness information online - 67.9% vs. 59.5%,
respectively.

-- Wellness content is king: Commercial wellness/health websites,
such as Wellness.com and WebMD.com, condition-specific sites, blogs and
forums are the most popular resources to turn to for wellness
information, with over one-third of respondents utilizing these
resources (36.3% and 34.6%, respectively). Commercial health/wellness
web sites are particularly popular with women 55 years and older and
respondents reporting household income of $100,000. Other resources
utilized for gathering wellness information include healthcare provider
websites (27.6%), government websites (27.6%) and corporate websites
(18.2%).

"The great thing about the Internet has always been the ability for
people to seek out niche content, like data on a particular health
condition. Advertising and marketing online has lagged behind that
consumer behavior," said Jarvis Coffin, CEO of Burst Media. "The
demographic of people that seek wellness information is a marketer's
dream, both from an age, gender and income perspective."