Number of Individuals Who Search for Health Information Online Has Doubled Since 1998, Report Finds

The number of Americans who search for health information online has more than doubled since 1998, according to a new report released by HarrisInteractive. The report found that about 80% of Americans search for health information on the Internet. According to the report, about 110 million individuals nationwide search for health information online today, compared to 69 million in 1999 and 54 million in 1998. The report found that on average, individuals search for health information three times per month. About 53% of Americans who search for health information online use search engines and Web portals, while 26% use Web sites that focus on health-related issues and 12% use general sites that have a section on health issues. Individuals who search for health information online are often younger, have more education and have higher incomes than the general population. HarrisInteractive based the report on a telephone survey of 707 adults with Internet access conducted between March 13 and March 19 (HarrisInteractive release, 5/1).