• by Wendy Davis , Staff Writer @wendyndavis, July 18, 2006

Seventy-one percent of Web users seek health information online, but the vast majority are disappointed with the quality of material available, according to a new report by JupiterResearch.

Consider, a paltry 16 percent said they actually find the health information they're looking for online, according to the report, which was based on a May survey of more than 2,000 Web users.

What type of material do they seek? Sixty-eight percent wanted to learn more about specific medical conditions, like diabetes or heart disease, while 43 percent said they wanted general health information, and 42 percent were interested in learning more about particular drugs.

To date, they use a mix of general search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN, and search engines focused specifically on health, like Yahoo Health, or the engine available at WebMD. Sixty percent of all respondents said they search for health information on general engines, 42 percent search specifically at health-focused engines, and 32 percent use both, according to the report.

When consumers were asked what would improve the state of health-related search, popular responses showed a high degree of Web savvy. Fifty-three percent of heavy search users (those who rely on search more now than one year ago) said they wanted clear indications of the author or source of the material. Forty-eight percent of the heavy searchers wanted a list of keywords related to their search, and 43 percent wanted to know which sites other users thought were helpful.