A young woman eats salad while using the calorie counter app on a cell phone. Oscar Wong (Getty Images)
For today’s young people, health is more important than money, work or love. A survey of 1,500 young people between the ages of 15 and 29 shows that physical and psychological well-being is a priority for them. Exercise, mental health and nutrition are the topics that interest her most. To find out about these topics, the Internet and social networks are the second source of information, ahead of specialists or your own family members.
Two out of three young people surveyed are very or very worried about their health. The study “Technological innovation in healthcare: the perspective of adolescents and young people”, carried out by the Fad Juventud Foundation in collaboration with the pharmaceutical company Pfizer, has shown how often they use technology for all issues related to well-being. For example, 34% of respondents use the Internet every day for health topics. Three out of ten do it weekly. While the Covid pandemic has increased concerns about health, young people were already using technology to learn about these topics before March 2020. “Concern has decreased compared to 2021, but the numbers have not returned to pre-2020 levels,” emphasized Anna Sanmartín, deputy director of the Reina Sofía Center for Youth and Adolescence, when presenting the study.
If they have questions about prevention, care or symptoms, they first consult their family doctor, then they do research on social networks, then they talk to specialists and refer their mothers to fourth place. They use technology primarily to care for themselves, prevent and improve their well-being, and promote a healthy lifestyle. According to the study, seven out of ten people use the networks when they have symptoms or feel unwell. In addition, around 70% of respondents find out about a health problem by consulting someone close to them.
More information
Among the tools they use most frequently related to their health, wellness and fitness tracking apps are the most common: pedometers (31.4%); food (29.5%); menstruation (28.4%); and physical performance or training (26.7%).
There are clear differences between the interests of women and men at this age. They are more likely to use technology to provide advice on physical activity issues (mainly fitness and running) and nutritional issues such as diets and weight loss. On the other hand, they are more interested in mental health issues such as anxiety, stress and depression; and aesthetics, such as skin and hair care. Some minor health problems are also among their interests, such as sore throats and colds or sexual and reproductive health problems. The most common searches in the last category are menstruation, sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy.
Young people, self-taught in technology, are used to searching for and using health tools and applications to educate themselves. And they pay attention to the sites they browse to find answers to their questions. The research shows that they place greater trust in websites or digital content recommended by healthcare organizations or professionals and trust the information provided by professionals more than that offered generally on the Internet and social networks. “Young people are increasingly aware of health misinformation, but they do not always have the means to confirm the information. In this respect, we are on the right track, even if there is a lot to improve,” said Sanmartín when presenting the study.
The new digital patients
Why do they get more information via the Internet? Seven in ten say they are more interested in the information available online than in the information provided by their doctor because it is closer, clearer and easier to consult. The same proportion indicates that “it is more visual and complete” as it is complemented by videos or photos.
About 56% say that by following professional health reports they feel they are better informed about related topics, and just over half (52.7%) say they are the answer to Find their concerns more quickly when they search for them online. What if you go to the doctor? After all, more than one in three (35%) admit that they do this to avoid “unnecessary doctor visits”.
Young people do not want to replace the healthcare system with technology, but they have their demands. They prefer to use digital applications to manage their medical appointments, access test results and personal health records, or conduct telematic consultations. For this reason, almost 40% believe that improving the healthcare system’s digital platforms and ensuring high-quality telematic healthcare would be an important step forward. Among the innovations they propose is improving the training of health professionals in the use of technology.
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