ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION:

The increasing use of the internet all over the world has also started to affect the health field. The quality of health information on the Internet is still being debated. The purpose of this study is to determine the accuracy of information on infant sleep safety on the Internet.

METHODS:

We searched for advice using 8 key phrases and analyzed the first 100 web sites for each phrase. Web sites were categorized by type and the accuracy of information was classified as "accurate," "inaccurate," or "not relevant."

RESULTS:

Overall, 20.3% of the 800 web sites provided accurate information and 22.6% provided inaccurate information. An analysis of the accuracy of information by type of web site found that government web sites had the highest rate of accuracy, web sites from individuals had the highest rate of inaccuracy. The search terms ‘safe sleep surface’ yielded the highest percentage of web sites with accurate information.

DISCUSSION and CONCLUSION:

As a result of the study, the rates of misinformation about baby sleep safety on web sites were determined and these rates are much more than the English web sites. Health care providers should suggest reliable web sites about safe infant sleep. In this way, families may reach the correct information from the internet.