50% of Irish people seek online health advice, research finds

Reviewed by Kate Anderton, B.Sc. (Editor)Aug 25 2019

50% of Irish people seek health information or advice online, according to new research carried out by Behaviour and Attitudes on behalf of RCSI. The research comes as RCSI launch a series of public lectures addressing common illnesses and health-related topics.

The research also found that:

• 1 in 5 Irish adults have never spoken to a healthcare professional about health concerns.
• Mental health is cited as parents' main health concern for their children.
• Adults under 25 are least likely to speak to a healthcare professional about health concerns.
• Cancer is women's main health concern, followed by mental health, heart disease and stress.
• 2 in 5 women under 35 rate stress in their top three health concerns and 1 in 8 are concerned about fertility issues.
• Despite many turning to the internet for health information, 69% of the Irish public do not consider websites to be a trusted source.

Commenting on the findings, Professor Hannah McGee, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences RCSI, said:

As educators and researchers, it is our responsibility to use our expertise, knowledge, and discoveries to foster improvements in health and education in our communities, our societies and around the world. The RCSI MyHealth Lecture series aims to do just that - to de-mystify the common health concerns affecting the Irish public, drawing expertise and insight from our team of researchers, and leading international health experts at the cutting edge of medical and healthcare developments."

Running throughout the year, the RCSI MyHealth lecture series will explore a wide range of areas in health and wellbeing, including mental health, arthritis, vaccinations and psychology.

The lecture series is open to those who want to learn more about common illnesses and health-related topics directly from leading healthcare experts under four themes: Child Health, Women's Health, Public Health and Positive Health.

The first talk in the series will address 'Cannabis and Youth Health - The Evidence' on Wednesday, 18 September 2019. Alex Berenson, a former journalist with the New York Times and author of the best-selling book, Tell Your Children: The Truth about Marijuana, Mental Illness, and Violence will give a guest address on the evening. This will be followed by a panel discussion chaired by Miriam O'Callaghan, with RCSI experts Prof. Mary Cannon, Prof. Norman Delanty, Prof. Susan Smith and GP Dr Garrett McGovern.

Upcoming lectures include:

• Cannabis and Youth Health - The Evidence - 18 September 2019
• Arthritis: My Joint Health - 3 October 2019
• How Inequality Kills: Margins, the Marginalised and Public Health - 19 November 2019
• The Evidence behind Vaccinations - 3 March 2020
• Positive Psychology - 21 May 2020

The full schedule of RCSI MyHealth lectures will be available to view at: http://www.rcsi.com/MyHealth19

This series of public health lectures are open to the public and free of charge, however, registration is essential to guarantee a place.

All lectures will begin at 6.30pm at RCSI, 26 York Street, Dublin 2.