The Impact of Inaccurate Internet Health Information in a Secondary School Learning Environment
Author Information
Author(s): Gunther Eysenbach, Elmer Bernstam, Ray Jones, Philip Kortum, Christine Edwards, Rebecca Richards-Kortum
Primary Institution: Rice University
Hypothesis
How effectively can students assess the accuracy of Internet-based material on a controversial medical topic using simple keyword searches?
Conclusion
Students may leave Internet-based health information exercises with predominantly incorrect information, highlighting the need for careful follow-up with accurate messaging.
Supporting Evidence
- 59% of students thought the Internet sites were accurate despite many being incorrect.
- 53% of students reported inaccurate statements about vaccines after the first exercise.
- 94% of students reported accurate information after watching a fact-based vaccine video.
Takeaway
Students searching for health information online can easily get confused and believe wrong things, so it's important to teach them how to find the right information.
Methodology
Students searched for 'vaccine safety' and 'vaccine danger' using Google and assessed the accuracy of the information they found.
Potential Biases
Participants may have been influenced by the design and presentation of the websites they visited.
Limitations
Ethnicity data were not collected, and the study was limited to a single high school.
Participant Demographics
34 students (17 males, 17 females) from a predominantly Hispanic high school in Houston, Texas.
Statistical Information
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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