Kontakt 2018, 20(4):e424-e431 | DOI: 10.1016/j.kontakt.2018.10.001

Internet - The threat or hope of Czech health literacy?Social Sciences in Health - Original article

Ondřej Pleskot^*, Jitka Rusová

Univerzita Pardubice, Fakulta zdravotnických studií, Pardubice, Česká republika

Although more and more people are searching for health information online, internet users often do not consult the information obtained with their doctor. In particular, users with low health literacy do not consider the quality of the information they receive, which poses considerable risks to their health. The aim of the online survey was to find out where internet users look for answers to health issues first, whether they are looking for help with an acute or chronic illness, or whether they are educating themselves on health issues. The follow-up survey focused on the quality of health information available on the Internet.
An online survey found that 68% of 1013 respondents preferred the Internet as their first choice for answering questions on health issues. 45% of respondents then sought help with acute problems, and only 29% answered that they were using the websites to educate themselves. The most frequently viewed topics were fatigue and swelling of the legs. A follow-up survey, focused on the quality of online health-related information, found that the range and quality of the information provided online were different. There was a lack of information about prevention options, incorrect or disputable information was reported on some sites, the author of the post could not always be traced, and in most cases no sources were reported. It was not possible to evaluate how current the provided information was, and none of the sites were accredited by a third party. Unexplained technical terms were found on half of the evaluated websites.
To increase the low health literacy of the population of the Czech Republic, it is necessary to cultivate the especially public popular educational sites, and to make available the criteria for assessing the quality of published information to the general public and web-makers.

Keywords: The Internet; Quality assessment criteria; Online information; Health information; Health literacy

Received: July 31, 2018; Revised: September 3, 2018; Accepted: October 3, 2018; Published: November 30, 2018  Show citation