Track 15. Comunication, education and health promotion Authors: Milagros Ronco; Lázaro Echegaray; Carmen Peñafiel https://youtu.be/VpOkI1t5GBY

1. The concept of health and the
evaluation of Internet as a health
information search tool of the youth
of the Basque Country and Navarra
Milagros Ronco (UPV/EHU)
Lázaro Echegaray (EUCCB)
Carmen Peñafiel (UPV/EHU)
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INTRODUCTION OF THE RESEARCH

3. Introduction
@ The arrival of the so called 2.0 communication has led to a change
in the ways in which all kinds of information are searched.
@ These changes have affected young adults and adolescents,
collectivities that are in the most transcendental moments of their
lives and that access resources that offer content and advise on health.
@ The project intends to observe the relationship between the
preoccupation with health, the way in which the collectivity searches
for such information, and the level of satisfaction of such searches.
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4. What concept of health does our youth have?
@ We are concerned with health education not only in what
concerns to the transmission of information but also to
motivation, personal abilities, and self-esteem, to improve the
health quality of the society.
@ “Health Education comprises learning opportunities created
consciously that have led to a way of communication destined to
improve the sanitary literacy. This includes an increase in the
knowledge that our population has of health and development
which contribute to individual and community health” OMS
Introduction
OUR GOALS: PROMOTION OF HEALTH
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5. The following study presents the results
obtained from one of the different research
phases that are part of a greater study about the
use of Internet by the youth of the Basque
Country and Navarra in the search for health
information
the study has been design according to the establishment of different
research phases, applying a concrete technique in each one of them
Introduction
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6. @ The results that are offered in this article are the ones that the
survey phase has given and are focus on the collectivity
composed by the youth, whose ages ranged between 18 and 24
years old
@ A finite sample was selected from the population of interest
Performed by a semi-structured questioner , and composed of questions from other
phases of the research.
based on the universal characteristics: age, sex, and residency location. The surveys
were responded in Basque and Spanish. Only the results from the analyses related to
the concept of health have been selected for this article
Methodology of Research case
ʐ = 2 (+/- 95,5 %)
E: 3
n= 270
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RESULTS OF THE RESEARCH

8. The consciousness over the preoccupation
with health
A health life means a free life without dependencies
Males 18 to 24 Females 18 to 24
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Having a healthy life is having a free life without dependencies. As if it was a research hypothesis, we have
asked the youth from the Basque country and Navarra if they agreed with such statement. The answers
diverged greatly.

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The consciousness over the preoccupation
with health
The youth is less preoccupied with health than they should
Are the youth less preoccupied with health than they should? 44% of the males agreed that they worry less
than they should and 39% of the females think the same way. This makes us see that there are two types of
young adults: those who care about their health and those who care little because health isn’t between their
values.
Normally, young adults are at an age in which they don’t usually have diseases as it happens in later ages.
However, they are interested in learning healthy habits about alimentation, esthetics, skin, sexuality, alcohol,
drugs, and psychological or conduct disorders.
Males 18 to 24 Females 18 to 24

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RESULTS OF THE RESEARCH
The new technologies
and health

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The new technologies and health
Observation and perception of health and TIC’s
In this part of the survey we aim to have them asses the credibility of the Internet in
health matters, the frequency in which they look for this kind of information in the
Internet, the topics that they consult more frequently, the language in which they do,
and the reliability that they give to the information that the Internet offers.
We consider usual to enter more than one web page to consult a determined health
problem. Is it also usual for the digital generation? There are health professionals that
are against the patient getting informed through the internet, but is the youth
interested in the search for such information? In this study we will become familiar
with their assessments of the health information collected from the Internet.

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The new technologies and health
Frequency with which health information is searched in the Internet
At their age it isn’t what worries them the most, except some topics such as esthetics, alimentation
(directed towards esthetics), sexuality, physical activity (also directed towards esthetics), and of course
concrete health problems that their family, friends, people close to them or even themselves might suffer
from.
Males 18 to 24 Females 18 to 24
41% of the males declare not to search for information on health in the Internet, 22% search for health
information with a frequency that ranges between 15 days and a month. The percentage of females that
declares not to search for health information is of 44%, 32% choose the option that ranges between a
month and 15 days.

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The new technologies and health
Topics on which information is searched upon in the Internet
The frequency referring to the type of topics was established with thirteen topics that we
consider important. 25% of the males search for “Sexuality” in the Internet, followed by the
topic “Drugs” (19%). Females prefer in the first place their alimentation (29%) followed by
sexuality topics (17%).
Males 18 to 24 Females 18 to 24

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The new technologies and health
Reliability given to the information on health in the Internet
The evaluation on the reliability that the youth gives to the health information in the Internet, offers the
following results: 46% of the males chose “Moderately reliable” and 26% “Reliable” (72% in total). The
answers of the females were similar; 45% chose “Moderately reliable” and 28% “Reliable” (73% in total).
Only 5% of males and 1% of females consider the Internet “Highly reliable” in health issues.
Males 18 to 24 Females 18 to 24
Evaluations of the TIC, according to its credibility in the health field. An evaluation of weather health
information is more accessible by the new technologies. Questions are raised on whether the TIC offers
information on health topics that didn’t exist before. On the last question they are asked about the following
statement “and in addition, we are better informed than the older generations”.

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The new technologies and health
I seek health information before going to the doctor
Males 18 to 24 Females 18 to 24
Searching for information previously and following visits to specialists, contrasting
the information in the Internet, entering different web pages, evaluating the level of
satisfaction on the information in the Internet, and also the possibility that the use
of such information caused issues

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The new technologies and health
I am satisfied with the health information I find
Males 18 to 24 Females 18 to 24
The last sentence “Getting informed on health in the Internet has caused me issues” .
11% of the males agree that it has caused them problems, while 25% haven’t found any
issues. The percentage of females that have not had any issues is 39% and 8% have had
problems.

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CONCLUSIONS OF THE RESEARCH

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Conclusions
@ It is convenient to highlight that disagreement exist between what preoccupies the
collective and the actions lead by such preoccupation
The majority of the participants consider health as an important thing in their lives.
However, consequences derived from such preoccupation are not observed. In fact,
when asked to respond to ‘The youth is less preoccupied with health than they
should’ the majority ‘Totally agreed’ or ‘Agreed’ with the statement
@ The frequency with which the searches on health are preformed adds to the
paradox
The majority of the participants selected a frequency of less than once a month.

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Conclusions
@ The most searched topics point in the same direction: in most cases the
information on health that is searched has nothing to do with diseases but with
aspects of the environment and world in which they live
25% of the males search ‘Sexuality’ and 19% ‘Drugs’, 29% of the females search for
‘Alimentation’ and 17% for ‘Sexuality’. It is a clear that they search for topics related
to healthy habits, for which they have a true interest, more that for diseases, which is
quite logic at their age.
@ The confirmation of the low interest on health at these ages, and the little
reflection on it
Is observed in the amount of times that the participants have selected the options
‘Don’t know, no answer’, or they have chosen ‘Indifference’

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Conclusions
@ We find an important relationship between health and happiness.
‘Health is essential to be happy’ declares a large percentage of the youth in both
sexes. In this way, a conclusion can be reaches based on these two issues: health
concerns the youth, they are conscious of the importance that it will have in the
development of their lives, but as the youth they are, they aren’t capable of seeing
further from the present moment
@ In what concerns to the role that the TIC’s have played in the development and
availability of health information, certain disequilibrium has been observed
61% of the males consider health information to be more accessible now. The
percentage of females that support this idea is only 55%.

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@ The reliability of the information found is always in an intermediate position:
‘Moderately reliable’
It is convenient to make an appreciation; while the reliability on the information
searched in the Internet, in general terms, does not generate confidence, the
information found on health is interpreted as ‘Reliable’

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