Young people trust online health info over doctors

Younger people are more likely to trust online information than doctors or pharmacists for advice about healthy living, figures suggest.

Some 65 per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds place most trust in health websites or apps, slightly more than the 63 per cent who said they trusted health professionals, the Mintel survey found.

Among all age groups, 67 per cent still name doctors, nurses and pharmacists as their most trusted source, followed by health websites and apps (61 per cent), family, friends and colleagues (54 per cent), personal trainers and fitness specialists (42 per cent), books (41 per cent) and online health blogs/forums (41 per cent).

Social media is also a trusted source of healthy living advice for 20 per cent of Britons, rising to 29 per cent of 25 to 34-yearolds. The poll also found 34 per cent of Britons consider themselves to be more healthy than they were a year ago, rising to 45 per cent of 16 to 34-yearolds.

Jack Duckett, senior consumer lifestyles analyst at Mintel, said: “As doctor’s appointments have become more difficult to schedule, online sources offer a quick fix for an age group who are already well aligned with the digital world.”