 More young people get health information from the Internet than use it to download music, play games, or check sports scores, a new survey which is the first to look in depth at how young people use the Internet for health purposes finds.
"Young people aren't just going online to download the latest song from the Red Hot Chili Peppers or look for information on George Clooney's latest movie," said Vicky Rideout, the vice president of Kaiser Family Foundation and director of the program. "They're also looking for information on health issues that are really important to them."
The foundation polled 1,209 Americans aged 15 to 24 between Sept. 24 and Oct. 31. It found three out of four young people who use the Internet have searched for health and medical information. In fact, the only activities that more young people reported participating in were emailing, school research, and finding news and entertainment information. Online Sex Ed Nearly half of the young people surveyed use the Internet to access information on sexual health - not surprising, considering that a vast majority listed sexual health issues such as pregnancy, AIDS, and other sexually transmitted diseases as being "very important." Drug abuse and sexual assault were also considered "very important" topics by roughly three out of four surveyed. Experts agree that the confidentiality and convenience that the Internet provides makes it a likely choice for young people who might be too embarrassed to discuss sexual issues with their parents or doctors. Quality Information? The survey also found that young people seem to be quite savvy when it comes to discerning quality health information. While almost all said Web information is useful, many reported being skeptical about the quality of information. Dr. Gretchen Berland, a professor of medicine at Yale University, recommends a few strategies that can help young users avoid bad information on the Internet: Don't rely on just one source. Try using government and medical association sites. Look for references. Be skeptical of sites that try to sell you something. If you have questions, take them to someone you trust. (Agencies) | 年輕人上網已不再僅僅是下載一些音樂，玩玩游戲或者查看一下體育比賽的比分。最新一項調查顯示，越來越多的年輕人開始從網上獲得健康方面的知識。這項調查首次深入調查了年輕人如何利用互聯網來獲得健康方面的知識。 愷撒家庭基金會副主席維奇·賴德奧特主持了這項調查，他說："現在的年輕人上網并不僅僅下載一些紅辣椒樂隊的新歌或者了解一些喬治·克魯尼新片的消息， 他們從網上獲得一些健康和醫藥知識，這對他們是非常重要的。" 愷撒家庭基金會對1209名年齡在15至24歲之間的美國青年進行了為期一周（從9月24日至10月31日）的跟蹤調查。結果發現上網的年輕人中的四分之三都利用網絡查詢過健康和醫藥方面的信息。除了電子郵件，學校信息，新聞類信息和娛樂信息，被調查者最感興趣的就是這方面的信息了。 在線性知識教育 近一半的被調查年輕人利用互聯網獲得性健康的知識。他們認為大部分性健康話題，例如"懷孕"、"艾滋"和其它傳染性性疾病都很重要。約四分之三的被調查者還認為吸毒和性攻擊的話題也很重要。 專家們也認為，大部分年輕人和家長或醫生談論有關性知識的話題會比較尷尬，而互聯網隱秘和方便的特點使得年輕人樂意在此接受這方面的知識。 信息的可信度？ 在問及網上健康信息的可信度時，年輕人都表現的很理智。雖然大家都認為網上的這部分信息是有用的，但很多人對這些信息的質量表示懷疑。 耶魯大學醫學教授格雷琴·貝蘭博士向年輕的網民們提供了一些避免網上不良信息的建議： 不要依賴單一的信息來源； 盡量向政府和醫療協會主辦的網站查詢信息； 留心文章的參考資料； 對企圖向你推銷產品的網站保持警惕； 如果你遇到問題，不妨問問你信得過的人。 （中國日報網站譯） |
Updated: 2001-12-13 01:00
