Chances are you've probably taken at least one health quiz on the Web, which could cover anything from attention deficit disorder to Zenker's diverticulum.
You may even have been tempted to see a doctor based on your health quiz results. That can be a good thing. For instance, type "depressed" into a Google search and one of the top results is an interactive quiz, based on a well-known medical test to diagnose depression. Score higher than nine, and you should probably see a doctor, the quiz-makers say. Then there's a health quiz about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, which might cause parents to wonder if their child has ADHD. In many respects these quizzes reproduce the key questions that doctors should be asking patients.
Consumer Reports uses quizzes to help people understand a topic or to showcase survey results. Quizzes that try to diagnose disease or identify risk factors are more problematic and should be used with caution.
Regardless of their interactive appeal, and the potential for click-of-a-button feedback, there are a few online health quiz qualities you should look for.
1. Crystal-clear wording
One or two misplaced phrases could mean the difference between whether you click the "close" link, hit "print" so you can show your doctor, or end up hopelessly confused. "Wording is very important," says Lisa Neal Gualtieri, Ph.D., an adjunct clinical professor at Tufts University School of Medicine. "My biggest objection to [quizzes] is how they can be misused." Gualtieri, a writer and editor who teaches a course on online consumer health, says few people possess real savvy in digging out important information from the Web. That means, she says, "Many people who take such quizzes do not necessarily know how to put the test and results in perspective."
2. A reputable source
Check out whether the Web site explains what information was used to create the health quiz and where it came from. For instance, one erectile dysfunction quiz says clearly at the top: "…based on information from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)." If the source is not easy to find, look for links that might be labeled "methodology" or "source."
Why is the source important? For one thing, more and more people are relying on the Internet for health information. The best kind comes from people or institutions with medical experience, such as the Mayo Clinic or Cleveland Clinic. "Quizzes are similar to symptom checkers, except they may make the person feel more confident in the results because of the question-answering process and the resulting answer," Gualtieri says. And sometimes quizzes are used as a type of advertising. They may contain valuable information, but they may try to persuade you to ask your doctor for a particular kind of medicine or treatment. It is often informative to vary your answers and see what advice the quiz generates. When the answer is always the purchase of a product or the need to see a specific doctor, you should be suspicious. Credible research points out that few readers of health Web sites bother to check information sources. You may want to consider whether you would be better off seeking information from a more neutral source than a pharmaceutical manufacturer. If you're not sure about the source, stick to health sites with detailed policies regarding sponsored content.
3. Realistic claims
The good ones will tell you the health quiz results do not constitute a diagnosis, and that you should see a doctor. Others may tell you the quiz information is for education—or even entertainment—purposes only. Take their results with a big grain of sodium chloride. Quizzes that result in an estimation of risk allow you to enter the goals you have for your weight, your cholesterol, or other factors. They then tell you how much your risk is reduced if you meet your goals. You may still want to discuss such results with your doctor, but don't rely on the numbers for anything else. While they can give you a sense of how your doctor may be thinking, there are usually many other factors that your doctor is taking into consideration.
