Use of e-health information: A case study

The Internet has emerged as the leading source of information in all walks of life including health care. The present study was conducted with the objective to ascertain utilization of the Internet for seeking health related information with a special emphasis on the change experienced in health behavior with its use. Questionnaires were randomly distributed to 130 postgraduate students/researchers. In total 102 questionnaires were received back and 100 of them were found relevant for analysis. Calculations were made manually. Almost all the students used the Internet to get health information. Diet and fitness were identified as the top most searched health topics by the students. More than 90 percent of the respondents found the retrieved information to be reliable. The study concluded that more than 80 percent respondents felt an improvement in understanding of symptoms, treatment of disease, health care needs, eating and exercising habits with the use of the Internet.