Online health information seekers often use incorrect terminology and misspell words during their online search ( Bader & Theofanos, 2003 Peterson, Aslani & Williams, 2003 Skinner, Biscope, Poland, & Goldberg, 2003), which can hinder access to pertinent information.
Despite the wide use of the Internet for health-seeking purposes, finding relevant information can be challenging. adults going online on a typical day to find information on various health topics ( Fox, 2006). Seeking medical information online is reported by 80% of Americans ( Pew Internet & American Life Project, 2008b), which amounts to 8 million U.S. It is estimated that 72% of adults in the United States use the Internet each day ( Pew Internet & American Life Project, 2008a). The introduction and expansion of the Internet has revolutionized how individuals obtain health information and resources. There appears to be significant opportunity to develop web resources that directly target unique subgroups within the transgender community to improve their health outcomes, increase the visibility of features that increase user interest and perceived credibility of webpages, and possibly train transgender individuals to seek relevant online information. Although various features are available that may increase user interest in and perceived credibility of a webpage, the results show that many of these features were underutilized. The majority of mental health (80%), HIV-related (89%), and primary care (100%) webpages targeted health professionals. The highest percentage of webpages appeared to be operated and/or created by transgender individuals or groups (46%), followed by for-profit businesses (17%). An online search using 28 keywords yielded 204 eligible webpages, of which 58% targeted transgendered individuals, 23% targeted health professionals, and 39% targeted the general public. The purpose of this study was to broadly characterize (1) the types of transgender-related webpages that appear as a result of keyword searches, and (2) the extent to which webpages differ in content and format depending on whether the intended audience for the webpage was transgender individuals, health professionals, or the general population. Despite the need for more research on transgender health issues, no review of online transgender-related resources has been conducted. Transgender persons represent a highly diverse group of individuals who have been historically underserved, despite being disproportionately at risk for HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) and other health conditions.