---
title: "The Internet and Health"
description: "An infographic summing up key findings from Internet and health reports."
date: "2013-02-12"
authors:
  - name: "No Author"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2013/02/12/the-internet-and-health/"
categories:
  - "Health Care"
  - "Health Policy"
  - "Healthcare Online"
  - "Leisure"
  - "Lifestyle"
  - "Medicine & Health"
  - "Online Search"
  - "Platforms & Services"
---

# The Internet and Health

![Internet_Health_Infographic](https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2013/12/Internet_Health_Infographic.jpg)

For our September 2012 health survey, we explored how U.S. adults are using the internet and digital technology as tools related to health and healthcare. Among our findings:

81% of U.S. adults use the internet and 59% say they have looked online for health information in the past year. 35% of U.S. adults say they have gone online specifically to try to figure out what medical condition they or someone else might have.

39% of online health seekers say they looked for information related to their own situation. Another 39% say they looked for information related to someone else’s health or medical situation. An additional 15% of these internet users say they were looking both on their own and someone else’s behalf.

Seven in ten (69%) U.S. adults track a health indicator for themselves or a loved one and many say this activity has changed their overall approach to health, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project. In all:

- 60% of U.S. adults say they track their weight, diet, or exercise routine.
- 33% of U.S. adults track health indicators or symptoms, like blood pressure, blood sugar, headaches, or sleep patterns.
- 12% of U.S. adults track health indicators or symptoms for a loved one.

Fore more information on the reports and data associated with these findings, please see: [2012 Health Survey Data](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2013/02/11/2012-health-survey-data/).