Aug. 9-Sept. 13, 2010 – Health

This data set contains questions about the internet and health care. It was used in our reports “Americans Living with Disability”, “Health Topics”, “Cancer 2.0”, “Mobile Health 2010”, “Peer-to-Peer Healthcare” and “The Social Life of Health Information, 2011.”

Thirty percent of U.S. adults provide support to a loved one. The internet is a key information and communications resource for this front-line labor force.

How the internet is transforming health communications by providing us with access to information and each other.

The online conversation about health is being driven forward by two forces: 1) the availability of social tools and 2) the motivation, especially among people living with chronic conditions, to connect with each other.

Many people - especially those living with chronic or rare diseases - use online connections to supplement professional medical advice.

While many devices have become popular across generations, younger adults are leading the way in increased mobility, preferring laptops to desktops and using their cell phones for a variety of functions.

Food safety, drug safety, and pregnancy information are among eight new topics included in our survey, which finds that 80% of internet users gather health information online.

People living with disability are less likely than other adults to use the internet.

4% of online adults use a location-based service such as Foursquare or Gowalla that allows them to share their location with friends and to find others who are nearby.

The online health-information environment is going mobile, particularly among younger adults.

As the digital world has expanded far beyond the desktop, consumers can now choose from an array of devices capable of satisfying their need for “anytime, anywhere” access to news, information, friends and entertainment.