For its September 2012 health survey, the Pew Internet and American Life Survey explored how U.S. adults are using the internet and digital technology as tools related to health and healthcare.

Key Findings

• 81% of U.S. adults use the internet and 59% say they have looked online for health information in the past year. 35% of U.S. adults say they have gone online specifically to try to figure out what medical condition they or someone else might have.

• 39% of online health seekers say they looked for information related to their own situation. Another 39% say they looked for information related to someone else’s health or medical situation. An additional 15% of these internet users say they were looking both on their own and someone else’s behalf.

• Seven in ten (69%) U.S. adults track a health indicator for themselves or a loved one and many say this activity has changed their overall approach to health.

For more information on the reports and data associated with these findings, go to 2012 Health Survey Data.

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