5233.0: Wednesday, November 15, 2000 - Board 3

Abstract #16431

Development of a quality assurance rating system for Internet health portals

Steven Godin, PhD, MPH, Kathy Hillman, PhD, MPH, Laura Boyle, BS, Laurie Cullen, BS, Jessica King, BS, and Martha Petersen, BS. Health Department, East Stroudsburg University, 200 Prospect St, East Stroudsburg, PA 18301, 570-422-3562, sgodin@po-box.esu.edu

Consumerism has fueled the development of thousands of health education websites on the Internet. One of the most common uses of the Internet is to gather information about disease and wellness. Despite the proliferation of health portals available on the web, consumers report concern about what material is to be trusted. In this session, participants will learn about a number of criteria proposed for rating the quality of Internet-based health portals used by consumers in preventive health care. Participants will be able to identify 12 criteria that were used in reviewing 100 randomly selected health portals to assess accuracy, clarity, and overall quality and appropriateness of the website for consumers. During this session, the faculty will provide recommendations regarding which health portals are most effective in providing theory-driven, health education and promotion materials that are supported by the scientific literature.

Learning Objectives: Participants will learn about a number of criteria proposed for rating the quality of Internet-based health portals used by consumers in preventive health care. Participants will be able to identify 12 criteria used in reviewing health portals to assess accuracy, clarity, and overall quality and appropriateness of the website for consumers. During this session, the faculty will provide recommendations regarding which health portals are most effective in providing theory-driven, health education and promotion materials that are supported by the scientific literature

Keywords: Community Education, Technology

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: N/A
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

The 128th Annual Meeting of APHA