• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, October 21, 2008

Think it's only baby boomers visiting health and wellness resources online? Not according to a study that shows that over 50% of young people ages 13-24 are accessing health and wellness information on the Internet.

Youth are also using confessional sites and posting anonymously on message boards to get personal advice more often than traditional support services such as phone hotlines.

The national survey of some 1,600 young men and women was a collaborative effort between Ypulse, an independent media platform for youth media and marketing professionals, the sexual health-focused nonprofit ISIS, young leader support organization YouthNoise, and market research firm Peanut Labs.

"Youth have always gotten information about sensitive and personal health issues from their peers," said Deb Levine, executive director at based in Oakland, CA-based ISIS, Inc. "What's changed today is that they're communicating with their peers online within their social networks."

WebMD was cited by 15% of respondents, making it the most popular site among young people who say they use the Web for information about health and wellness. More young people, in fact, refer directly to WebMD than use search engines to research health and wellness issue.

Of the 17% of respondents who reported visiting online confessional sites or message boards to share personal information, a full 87% considered the experience a positive one.

Across the board, respondents cited STDs/HIV and drugs/substance abuse as their top health concerns--while issues related to the Internet, such as cyber-bullying--ranked low on their list of concerns.

Asked what they would want from a health and wellness-related Web site, young respondents said "both accurate, accessible information and a community where users can interact and obtain personal support from both peers and professionals," according to the study.

Being fun and interactive, safe and anonymous are also qualities that young people are looking for in a good information site, according to the survey results.