Opportunities for Interactivity in Public Health Websites: A content Analysis Approach

The Internet has many advantages over other media in the provision of information services in the

area of public health. However many designers are not yet taking full advantage of its potential for

interactivity. This paper examines the development of interactivity in public health websites in the

increasingly important area of Palliative Care. Content analysis is used here to map the interactivity

in a sample of 30 existing websites along with HeeterâÂÂs six dimensions (content and availability of

choice, effort users must exert, responsiveness to the users, and the ease of adding information,

monitoring the information and the system use, and facilitation of interpersonal communication).

The results of this study show that the effort users must currently exert in finding information .The

presence of content as well as the availability of choice are the most prevalent options currently found

in these websites. However, the overall level of opportunities for interactivity was low. This suggests

that online palliative care sites are not as interactive as they could be. Designers are not yet taking

full advantage of the range of opportunities that the Internet offers to promote health and the benefits

that would come from using interactive tools for more active communication.