Among Americans who have gone online to conduct health research in the past 30 days, 56% said a website is trustworthy if it is recommended by a health care professional, according to a survey by Kantar Media.
The survey found that 46% of respondents said having academic articles or scientific research makes a health website trustworthy, while 39% said using information that is easy to understand does.
In addition, 71% of respondents said the top reason to go online for health information is to learn more about a medical condition, compared with 59% who said their primary reason is to research symptoms that either they or another individual is experiencing.
Results are based on an online survey of more than 5,000 adults ages 18 and older conducted in the second quarter of 2010.
Source: Kantar Media, "2010 MARS OTC/DTC Study"