An Australian web survey has found that growing numbers of middle-class professionals are turning to the web for health advice — and experiencing imaginary afflictions following their online “diagnosis”. Dr Jared Dart, who conducted the study, has labelled the rise in patient “cyberchondria” (where people surf the internet looking for medical explanations for vague symptoms) a “bane” for healthcare professionals who have to convince their patients of misdiagnosis.
The survey of more than 700 people found that four out of five university graduates used the web to gain information about health issues — less than half of internet users in lower socio-economic categories (who, Dart says, would benefit most from health information) logged on to get practical health tips.
While Google remains a popular diagnostic tool (you’re as likely to end up with a Wikipedia entry as a link to an official government health site), last year leading health website WebMD (www.webmd.com) launched a comprehensive “symptom checker” section allowing users to scroll through a menu of ailments by body part, with each affliction listed alphabetically — you can edit your “symptoms” as you surf and click on links for more information about specific diseases. Local website Health24 is less expansive, but you can “select a disease” by category (“general”, “skin” and “children”).
At the same time, new studies indicate that excessive internet use could warrant a health warning in itself. A recent Harvard Medical School study found that teenage girls who spend a lot of time online are more likely to have a higher body mass index (BMI) than those who spend less time in front of the computer.
The report, published in the July Journal of Pediatrics, found that even after adjusting the results to accommodate the lack of physical activity (from hours spent in front of the computer), heavy internet users (more than 16 hours a week) were predisposed to gaining weight — as much as 2kg a year. Associated behaviours such as increased alcohol consumption and not enough sleep (less than five hours a night) were also cited as possible contributing factors.
Concerns continue to be voiced not just about the amount of time people — particularly children — spend online, but also how we access the web. Two weeks ago the general secretary of United Kingdom teachers’ association, Voice, asked the national school network to place a moratorium on the roll-out of wifi internet access in schools, pending a full safety inquiry.
The UK’s Health Protection Agency has consistently stated that wifi is safe to use, but a 2007 television report by the BBC’s Panorama found that radio frequency radiation levels in some schools were up to three times higher than those caused by cellphone masts. In September 2007 the German government issued a warning for people to avoid using wifi whenever possible, because of potential health risks.