It Is Not Just a Matter of Ethics: A Survey of the Provision of Health Disclaimers,Caveats, and Other Health-related Alerts in Consumer Health Information on Eating Disorders on the Internet |
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| Authors: | Feili Tu Nancy P Zimmerman |
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| Institution: | 1. School of Library and Information Science San José State University.;2. The College of Library and Information Science, The University of South Carolina. |
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| Abstract: | Eating disorders affect millions of people, and their prevalence demonstrates that the condition exists across gender and cultural boundaries. The Internet is a major channel for publishing and disseminating electronic information, allowing worldwide access of massive health-related, lay- and professional-oriented information. However, much research has found that health-related information on the Internet can be overwhelming, incomplete, and/or inaccurate. The success of health promotion in the 21st century depends on whether available consumer health information (CHI) is adequate, accurate, and easy to use. Usually, health disclaimers, caveats, and other health-related alerts are messages to notify users that the information provided is not intended nor implied to be a replacement or an alternative for professional health-related advice. These messages also serve as indicators to show that information providers take ethical responsibility for quality control in terms of providing valid and reliable consumer health information on the Internet. The study used content analysis1to examine the provision and assess the quality of health disclaimers, caveats, and other health-related alerts included in adult CHI on eating disorders published on the Internet in 1998. The researcher-generated instrument was based on evaluative criteria derived from Alexander and Tate;2Health On the Net Foundation;3Mitretek Systems;4and Silberg, Lundberg and Musacchio.5Web search engines (Northern Light, HotBot, and Excite) were used for data collection on Internet-based publications. The results indicated that the CHI on eating disorders on the Internet did not include disclaimers, caveats, and other health-related alerts which demonstrates a lack of quality control and ethical responsibility on the part of the information providers and site administrators. |
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