Women 'look to user-generated content for health information'

Category: Web 2.0

January 23rd 08, 10:00

User-generated content on the internet is an increasingly prominent source of health information for women, a new report suggests.

Digital world analyst comScore examined the role of blogs, chatrooms and forums for women seeking information about alternative methods of birth control.

It emerged that more than 40 per cent of female respondents were open to the idea of seeking birth control advice online, with 35 per cent stating that they had already done so and 23 per cent asserting that they would not consider such a strategy.

"As is true in many other areas of healthcare, the consumer has become much more proactive. She wants to be informed of all of her choices and she is relying on the internet for answers," comments Carolina Petrini, senior vice-president with the research company.

Ofcom's most recent International Communications Market report found that the internet is used equally by women and men in the UK, but among 18 to 34-year-olds 57 per cent of web users are women compared with 43 per cent of men.

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