A Woman’s World?
IN WOMEN'S HEALTHAs our nation ventures deeper into the digital age, more and more Americans are turning to the Internet to explore topics related to their health concerns. In fact, between 1999 and 2001, research by the Health Privacy Project estimates that the number of Americans turning to the Internet for healthcare information doubled and now exceeds 98 million. And many of those surfers are women. Studies show that women are more likely to make healthcare decisions in their households. Not surprisingly, women comprise a majority of health seekers who turn to the more than 17,000 health-related Web sites that create the virtual medical landscape. Women are searching for information both for themselves and their families. They are more likely to look for information related to their children’s health and to seek health information after visiting their physicians. But all the facts floating around in cyberspace aren’t necessarily from reliable sources. Many women wonder if the health information they’ve found on the Web is valid and whether their information and surfing remain private. If you’re wondering where to look for trustworthy healthcare information, use these tips from The National Women’s Health Resource Center (www.healthywomen.org) to help you sort through the hype.
- Choose Web addresses with .gov, .edu, and .org at the end. They are usually sponsored by state and federal government agencies, nonprofit organizations, or colleges and universities.
- Stick with names you trust. Visit the Web sites of nationally or regionally recognized organizations for up-to-date information on the health topics they’re involved in.
- Look for the site’s privacy policy. You can find out if the site sells or trades information to other organizations or companies.
- Trust your instincts. If what you’re reading sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.
| Searching Cyberspace? You don’t have to be Spiderwoman to be a savvy Web crawler. Whether you’re a newcomer to the wealth of health on the World Wide Web or a seasoned surfer, you’re sure to benefit from some of these well-known sites. Medline www.medlineplus.gov The American Heart Association www.americanheart.org National Women’s Health Resource Center www.healthywomen.org American Academy of Pediatrics www.aap.org American Academy of Family Physicians www.familydoctor.org American Menopause Foundation www.americanmenopause.org National Institutes of Health www.nih.gov National Women’s Health Information Center www.4woman.gov American Council on Exercise www.acefitness.org WebMD www.webmd.com American Association for Retired Persons www.aarp.org American Academy of Obstetrics and Gynecology www.acog.org American Medical Association www.ama-assn.org American Psychological Association www.apa.org American Cancer Society www.cancer.org |
