Researchers at the University of Utah tracked the web browsing of more than 1,000 US adults for four weeks. They combined survey answers with actual browsing and YouTube viewing data to see what health information people met online.
During the study participants reached about nine million web addresses and many videos. The team labeled 1,055 domains as health sites and found 78 of those domains were low-credibility. Few people visited these sites, and those visits made up only a small part of all health browsing.
Visits were especially common among older adults, and the researchers say helping seniors check information could be important. They also found that people who already believed false claims were more likely to encounter dubious content.
Difficult words
- researcher — person who studies or investigates a topicResearchers
- track — follow and record movement or activitytracked
- browse — look at websites or read online pagesbrowsing
- domain — website address or site namedomains
- dubious — possibly untrue or not trustworthy
- senior — an older person, usually an adultseniors
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Do you look for health information online? Where do you go?
- How could we help older adults check if online health information is true?
- Why might it be a problem if people believe false claims online?
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