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Difficulties in Obtaining Consistent HPV Information
from the Internet: Preliminary Findings
Marsha S. Stevens, BHSEllen M. Daley, PhD
Karen M. Perrin , PhDRobert J. McDermott , PhD
University of South Florida College of Public Health, Tampa, FL
Background
This research is being conducted as a
“Special Project” for completion of a
Masters in Public Health – the analysis is
prompted from qualitative findings from
an ongoing study assessing the impact of
an HPV diagnosis.
Prevalence of HPV
“…(HPV) infection is the most common sexually transmitted disease (STD) in the United States and is of increasing public health concern…”
American Social Health Association (ASHA) http://www.ashastd.org/hpvccrc/background.html-2003
Prevalence and Incidence of HPV
• Prevalence of HPV is 30%-50% in sexually active young women
• Incidence approximately 5.5 million a year
National Network of STD/HIV Prevention Training CentersCurriculum CommitteeGenital Human Papillomavirus Infection -- January 2003
HPV and Cervical Cancer
• Worldwide: HPV cervical cancer—approximately 475,000 cases and 200,000 deaths
• US: HPV cervical cancer—approximately 14,000 cases and 5,000 deaths
• 3rd leading cause of cancer in women worldwide
• 9th leading cause of cancer deaths in the USNational Network of STD/HIV Prevention Training Centers- Curriculum CommitteeGenital Human Papillomavirus Infection June 2002
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the content of internet websites pertinent to HPV.
We determined that the majority of women found obtaining accurate, clear and reliable
information on HPV via the Internet was difficult
Methods
Eleven graduate students conducted pilot study searches on the Internet
Graduate students used the search engine of their choice.
Seven search engines were used: Google, Yahoo, AskJeeves, Alta Vista, MSN, Dogpile, Blazefind.
Methods• A list of specific search terms was given
to each participant: HPV HUMAN PAPILLOMA VIRUS DYSPLASIA PAP SMEAR ABNORMAL CELLS STD SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASE CERVICAL CANCER COLPOSCOPY GENITAL WARTS
Methods• Most students
chose to do the pilot study in the late afternoon or early evening.
• Six out of the eleven graduate students conducted search at home versus the university.
Results
• Assessed each graduate students findings
– Out of the top ten websites generated, which sites were relevant
– How many were non- commercial sites
– What number in the sequence were the relevant websites
Health On the Net Standards(HON Code)
• These standards are proposed for presenting health information on the Internet but compliance to the principles is voluntary.
Health On the Net Standards(Hon Code) cont’d
There are eight principles in the HON Code:• Authority • Complementarity• Confidentiality• Attribution• Justifiability• Transparency of authorship • Transparency of sponsorship• Honesty in advertising & editorial policy
Results
• Google was the most frequently used search engine by the graduate students.
• The search engine with the most relevant sites was AskJeeves.
• The search engine with the least relevant sites was Blazefind.
Discussion• Health Information on the Internet is
inconsistent. • Health Information retrieved on
Internet may be viewed as correct by Internet user’s despite misleading and incorrect information.
• Establishing standards such as HON Code are important.
Conclusions• An array of health
information is available on the Internet for anyone to retrieve. Consumers often do not question the information they find on the Internet.
Conclusions
• The health messages are non-standard or geared to an audience with computer-literate skills.
• Health professionals have a role in teaching consumers how to locate and evaluate quality information.