Abstract
Objective: The present study was designed to assess the quality of Chinese-language Internet-based information on HIV/AIDS. Methods: We entered the following search terms, in Chinese, into Baidu and Sogou: “HIV/AIDS”, “symptoms”, and “treatment”, and evaluated the first 50 hits of each query using the Minervation validation instrument (LIDA tool) and DISCERN instrument. Results: Of the 900 hits identified, 85 websites were included in this study. The overall score of the LIDA tool was 63.7%; the mean score of accessibility, usability, and reliability was 82.2%, 71.5%, and 27.3%, respectively. Of the top 15 sites according to the LIDA score, the mean DISCERN score was calculated at 43.1 (95% confidence intervals (CI) = 37.7–49.5). Noncommercial websites showed higher DISCERN scores than commercial websites; whereas commercial websites were more likely to be found in the first 20 links obtained from each search engine than the noncommercial websites. Conclusions: In general, the HIV/AIDS related Chinese-language websites have poor reliability, although their accessibility and usability are fair. In addition, the treatment information presented on Chinese-language websites is far from sufficient. There is an imperative need for professionals and specialized institutes to improve the comprehensiveness of web-based information related to HIV/AIDS.
Highlights
Since 2011, “Getting to zero” has been the annual World AIDS Day theme, which reflects the ambitious aim of the entire world to end the AIDS epidemic
There is an imperative need for professionals and specialized institutes to improve the comprehensiveness of web-based information related to HIV/AIDS
The first reason is that the Health on the Net code (HONcode) certification may not have been well known in China ; many Chinese health related websites did not apply for the HONcode certification
Summary
Since 2011, “Getting to zero” has been the annual World AIDS Day theme, which reflects the ambitious aim of the entire world to end the AIDS epidemic. In China, the national prevalence of HIV/AIDS remains low, the number of people living with HIV continues to increase [2,3]. At the end of October 2015, the number of reported cases of HIV-positive people in China increased to 575,000 [2] from 272,000 in 2009 [3]. It was estimated that there were 780,000 individuals infected by HIV at the end of 2011 in China [4]. This indicates that almost one-third are still unidentifed. There is still a long way to go to succeed in “getting to zero” in China
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
