November 11, 2008
Over 60 Million US Adults Using Health 2.0 Tools
A study of consumer use of social media for health information from Manhattan Research reports that over 60 million U.S. adults are Health 2.0 consumers – using health blogs, online support groups, prescription rating sites, and other health-related social media applications. According to the Cybercitizen Health™ consumer study, the number of Health 2.0 consumers has doubled over the past year. The study also found that a consumer’s condition, as opposed to just age or gender, is an important factor in his or her likeliness to engage in health-related social media.
Health 2.0 consumers are defined as consumers who have conducted one of the following activities in the past 12 months: read health-related blogs, message boards or participated in health-related chatrooms; contributed or posted health content online such as: writing or commenting on a health-related blog, adding or responding to a topic in a forum or group, or creating health related web pages, videos or audio content; used online patient support groups, message boards, chatrooms, or blogs.
According to Manhattan Research Vice President of Research Meredith Abreu Ressi, “social media is changing the way that consumers gather health information from the Internet. Patients and caregivers are no longer limited to static resources but are now sharing advice and treatment experiences online. And it’s not just younger audiences connecting online – consumers with conditions such as cancer, fibromyalgia, and depression are also avid users of these types of resources. Health 2.0 is happening, and it’s changing the way things are done in the healthcare industry.”
Source: PharmaLive
Cybercitizen White Paper (free with registration)
Manhattan Research eHealth Trends podcast
from the Health 2.0 Conference in San Francisco