The digital divide: a comparison of online consumer health information for African-American and general audiences.
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.
Kind
Terry
T
Children's National Medical Center, The George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, USA. tkind@cnmc.org
Wallace
Jasmine
J
Moon
Rachel Y
RY
D001741:Black or African American; D054626:Consumer Health Information / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D009862:Online Systems; D014481:United States