MyHealth, Circa 2007

Susannah FoxAssociate DirectorPew Internet Project

February 6, 2007

February 6, 2007 2MyHealth, Circa 2007

Share of Americans online by age(Based on Pew Internet Project telephone surveys)

2000-2006

85%80%

69%

31%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Age 18-29 Age 30-49 Age 50-64 Age 65+

February 6, 2007 3MyHealth, Circa 2007

Share of Americans online by education level(Based on Pew Internet Project telephone surveys)

2000-2006

33%

72%

59%

91%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

High school diploma College degree

February 6, 2007 4MyHealth, Circa 2007

Defining the population

• The question we asked in both 2002 and in 2006: “Does any disability, handicap, or chronic disease keep you from participating fully in work, school, housework, or other activities, or not?”

• 17% of adults said yes in Aug. 2006

February 6, 2007 5MyHealth, Circa 2007

Share of Americans online by disability status(Based on Pew Internet Project surveys, Nov-Dec 2002 and Aug 2006)

35%

61%

51%

74%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Living with disability or illness No disability or illness

2002

2006

February 6, 2007 6MyHealth, Circa 2007

Percent of each group who have looked online for this type of information(Based on a Pew Internet Project August 2006 survey)

79

62

49

48

44

35

11

86

73

64

53

46

51

24

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

At least one of the 17 topics

Specific disease or medicalproblem

Certain medical treatmentsor procedures

Diet, nutrition, vitamins, ornutritional supplements

Exercise or fitness

Prescription or over-the-counter drugs

Medicare or Medicaid Internet users w/disability

Internet users w/no disability

February 6, 2007 7MyHealth, Circa 2007

Dooce.com: Personal story of skin cancer

February 6, 2007 8MyHealth, Circa 2007

MySpace: Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation

February 6, 2007 9MyHealth, Circa 2007

Flickr: Personal surgery photos

February 6, 2007 10MyHealth, Circa 2007

Flickr: Triumph in the ER

February 6, 2007 11MyHealth, Circa 2007

YouTube: ACL reconstruction

February 6, 2007 12MyHealth, Circa 2007

Wikipedia: Asthma

February 6, 2007 13MyHealth, Circa 2007

Wikipedia: Asthma

February 6, 2007 14MyHealth, Circa 2007

Further reading

• Tagging http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/201/report_display.asp

• Social Networking Websites and Teens http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/198/report_display.asp

• Online Health Search 2006 http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/190/report_display.asp

• Bloggers: A portrait of the internet's new storytellers http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/186/report_display.asp