GOOGLE IT!: URBAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS' USE OF THE INTERNET TO OBTAIN SELF-CARE AND PERSONAL HEALTH INFORMATION.

COLLEGE students; HEALTH information exchanges; HEALTH self-care; HEALTH education; INTERNET in medicine; DECISION making; HEALTH literacy

Background: As electronic resources increasingly play a major role in consumer health, eHealth literacy has emerged as a valuable tool to improve and enhance health knowledge and behavior. Yet for some populations, access to health information alone does not lead to better health practices or outcomes. Low income populations increasingly rely on ehealth information but may lack the knowledge and skills to interpret and evaluate the information. Results: Students are active users of the Internet and search the web for a variety of personal health needs. In fact, the Internet was the students' most often consulted health information source. Students reported searching the Internet to identify self-care strategies, alternative therapies, and information related to nutrition and fitness. Students felt the Internet empowered their health care decision making. However, students also reported skepticism related to the validity of health related information and failed to identify reliable strategies for evaluating the credibility of Internet health resources. Conclusion: Although digital media offers new opportunities to address health disparities and increase health literacy among urban community college students, they should be given the opportunity to process eHealth information at a deeper level and taught how to effectively evaluate health information found on the Web. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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