Searching for online health information was the third most popular Web activity for Internet users behind e-mail and using a search engine, according to a new study by the nonprofit research firm Pew Internet & American Life Project.
Eight in 10 Internet users researched health information online, Pew reported in its Health Topics survey, conducted from Aug. 9 to Sept. 13, 2010. The California HealthCare Foundation sponsored the survey.
In fact, 80 percent of American Internet users research health topics on the Internet, and 59 percent of the U.S. population overall, according to Pew. Topics to research include diseases, procedures, doctors, hospitals and insurance.