TY - JOUR
T1 - Tools for assessing the quality and accessibility of online health information
T2 - Initial testing among breast cancer websites
AU - Whitten, Pamela
AU - Nazione, Samantha
AU - Lauckner, Carolyn
PY - 2013/12
Y1 - 2013/12
N2 - Health websites are used frequently, but there are many concerns about their value as information sources. Additionally, there are numerous personal barriers that prevent individuals from wholly benefitting from them. In order to assess the quality of health websites and their accessibility to users, we created tools based on previous research that examine design aspects, information validity, motivational health content and literacy content. To test these tools, we examined 155 breast cancer websites and created scores for each assessment tool to describe the percent of constructs on the average website. Results demonstrated that websites performed best on the design tool followed by the information validity, motivational health content and literacy assessment tools. The average website contained the majority of the design and information validity constructs, but only about a third of the motivational health or literacy constructs. Multiple items from the motivational health content and literacy assessment tools were not found on any of the websites, and many were only represented on a handful of sites. Overall, the assessment tools were useful in evaluating the quality of websites, and could serve as valuable resources for health website developers in the future.
AB - Health websites are used frequently, but there are many concerns about their value as information sources. Additionally, there are numerous personal barriers that prevent individuals from wholly benefitting from them. In order to assess the quality of health websites and their accessibility to users, we created tools based on previous research that examine design aspects, information validity, motivational health content and literacy content. To test these tools, we examined 155 breast cancer websites and created scores for each assessment tool to describe the percent of constructs on the average website. Results demonstrated that websites performed best on the design tool followed by the information validity, motivational health content and literacy assessment tools. The average website contained the majority of the design and information validity constructs, but only about a third of the motivational health or literacy constructs. Multiple items from the motivational health content and literacy assessment tools were not found on any of the websites, and many were only represented on a handful of sites. Overall, the assessment tools were useful in evaluating the quality of websites, and could serve as valuable resources for health website developers in the future.
KW - Breast cancer
KW - Internet
KW - Literacy
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84887883460&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84887883460&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3109/17538157.2013.812644
DO - 10.3109/17538157.2013.812644
M3 - Article
C2 - 23957628
AN - SCOPUS:84887883460
SN - 1753-8157
VL - 38
SP - 366
EP - 381
JO - Informatics for Health and Social Care
JF - Informatics for Health and Social Care
IS - 4
ER -