Online Physical Activity Information: Will Typical Users Find Quality Information?

Abstract

This study evaluated physical activity Web sites to determine quality, accuracy, and consistency with principles of the extended parallel process model (EPPM). Three keyword searches were conducted using 4 search engines to find a sample of N = 41 Web sites. Three raters evaluated the Web sites using the JAMA benchmarks to assess quality and American College of Sports Medicine and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations for physical activity to determine accuracy, as well as checking for inclusion of EPPM variables. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and analysis of variance with least squares means. Only 22% of the sites were high quality, none were highly accurate, and most were consistent with the EPPM. Quality ratings were weakly associated with accuracy. Educational and .net sites were rated significantly higher in quality and accuracy, and government sites were most consistent with the EPPM. Quality Web sites were more often found by using Yahoo and Google. “Exercise” yielded more accurate results, whereas “physical activity” and “fitness” produced more Web sites consistent with the EPPM. It is encouraging that most sites incorporated EPPM concepts; however, quality and accuracy were poor, leaving physical activity information seekers at risk for disease and injury.

Notes

¹The Health on the Net code is an initiative to improve quality of online health information that allows health-based Web sites to advertise a Health on the Net code seal if they meet certain quality standards. For more information, visit http://www.hon.ch.