Nine Of The Top 20 Health Issues Researched On The Internet Relate To Dieting, Weight Loss And Healthy Living

Main Category: Nutrition / Diet
Also Included In: Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness
Article Date: 17 May 2009 - 0:00 PDT

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Nine of the top 20 health issues researched on the internet relate to dieting, weight loss and healthy living.

Women make up the majority (fifty five per cent) of people who use the internet to research health and medical issues and nine of the top twenty health and medical searches on the internet relate to obesity, weight loss and healthy living, with women over the age of 45 making up more than a third (37%) of web users looking for health and medical information on the web.

These are some of the findings from the 3rd annual WebWatch 2009 survey published by Private Healthcare UK, using data from Hitwise, which provides a snapshot of the type of health issues web users are concerned about and the health and medical sites the UK's web users are visiting.

Download the full WebWatch 2009 report at: http://www.privatehealth.co.uk/aboutus/webwatch-2009

With new figures from the NHS Information Centre showing that the number of obesity surgery procedures are up 40% on last year it is hardly surprising that the Private Healthcare UK survey found that information about BMI (body mass index), calories and diabetes were the most common disease/condition related terms searched.

Information for the survey was gathered by Hitwise over a four week period to the end of January 2009, monitoring daily activity on 1,492 UK health and medical websites as defined by Hitwise.

The report also includes information about other factors relevant to today's online healthcare market that include gender and age of visitors to health and medical sites, search engine use, the most visited sites, and the most visited health information sites, the health and medical sector's share of all web activity and the most visited insurance company sites.

Analysis of the data reveals that the web is becoming an increasingly important research tool for individuals looking for information about health and medical matters. The web is also being used as a main form of communication for organisations in both the private, public and charity sectors in addressing the public in health awareness issues, with obesity, weight loss and health living being key subjects of interest.

Private Healthcare UK is the UK's leading gateway to information about private health care services, medical information, news resources and insurance and was the fifth most visited site for general healthcare information in the four weeks to the end of January 2009 an indication of its strong position in the healthcare web sector.

NetDoctor's (the fourth most visited site according to the Hitwise data) recent launch of a portal to Private Healthcare UK on its website means that Private Healthcare UK's market share is set to grow with its exposure to NetDoctor's audience of 4.5m visitors a month. This will be a useful resource for self-paying patients researching private medical treatment and insurance options and the increasing number of NHS patients who are exercising their rights to access private healthcare.

Keith Pollard of Private Healthcare UK comments that; "The data shows that people are increasingly relying on the web as a resource for a wide range of information about health and medical services. Private Healthcare continues to grow in popularity in a crowded market place because it holds a unique position by providing users with a reliable and easy to use resource for information about private healthcare options that helps them make informed decisions about treatment, healthcare providers and insurance."

About Intuition Communication

Intuition Communication publishes some of the UK's most visited healthcare information sites including Private Healthcare UK, Treatment Abroad, and:

- http://www.harleystreet.guide.co.uk - provides comprehensive information about this world famous area of medical excellence.
- http://www.self-help.org.uk - a searchable database of over 1,000 self help organisations and support groups across the UK.
- http://www.treatmentabroad.com - the UK's leading guide to health and medical tourism, covering over 40 destinations worldwide.
- http://www.treatmentinhungary.net - a health tourism site with a specific focus on Hungary.
- http://www.treatmentincyprus.com - a health tourism site with a specific focus on Cyprus.
- http://www.treatmentinspain.com - a health tourism site with a specific focus on Spain.
- http://www.canceradvice.co.uk - access to opinions and advice from some of the UK's leading oncologists.

Source
Private Healthcare UK

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