title: The digital divide: a comparison of online consumer health information for African-American and general audiences.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We sought to assess the quality of health information on internet sites with missions to serve African Americans and to compare the quality to that of sites targeting a general audience.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sites were identified by entering "black Health," "African American health," and "health" into 2 search engines. Websites were assessed for quality and usability by 2 independent readers using published criteria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Disease-specific information was found on 64.7% of African-American sites and 86.2% of general sites. Among these sites, 73% of African-American sites listed authors' qualifications, compared to 96% of general sites (p=0.04). Sixty-four percent of African-American sites provided date last updated, compared with 100% of general sites (p=0.001). The mean literacy level for both types of sites was approximately 10th grade. The literacy level of African-American sites at governmental and educational domains was lower (NS).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first study to examine critically the quality of health information on Internet sites serving African-American audiences. Our study suggests methods to guide healthcare providers and health educators in counseling patients regarding internet-based health information. The "digital divide" is about quality as well as access.
authors.affiliation: Children's National Medical Center, The George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, USA. tkind@cnmc.org
authors.forename: Terry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kind
authors.forename: Jasmine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wallace
authors.forename: Rachel Y
authors.initials: RY
authors.lastname: Moon
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American; D054626:Consumer Health Information / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D009862:Online Systems; D014481:United States