Eight in ten Internet users have looked online for information on at least one of sixteen health topics, with diet, fitness, drugs, health insurance, experimental treatments, and particular doctors and hospitals among the most popular topics, a new survey conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project finds.

According to the report, Health Information Online, about 95 million American adults use the Internet to find health information, with some demographic groups showing notable interest in specific topics. Nearly 60 percent of women Internet users have read up on nutrition, for example, compared with 43 percent of men, while 38 percent of parents have checked for health insurance information, compared with 26 percent of Internet users who do not have children living at home. The study also found that 41 percent of Internet users with a broadband connection at home have looked up a particular doctor or hospital, compared with 19 percent of Internet users with a dial-up connection.

"Half of all American adults are now using the Internet to gather advice about health and health care," said Susannah Fox, associate director at the Pew Internet Project, an initiative funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts. "Some people, especially those with high-speed Internet access and many years of online experience, are also changing the contours of health searching. The Internet's power users now look up everyday questions and do their health homework online."

To read or download the complete report (22 pages, PDF), visit: http://www.pewtrusts.org/pdf/Pew_Internet_healthtopics_51705.pdf.