Level of pro-health behavior of women from rural and metropolitan environment who are active on the health-related Internet portals

The development of health education, education in the scope of healthy lifestyles is significantly affected by the mass media, and primarily the Internet, which is an interactive source of information and the space to acquire competencies supporting health. Access to the Internet is getting more and more widespread; also the range of easily accessible content, related to the lifestyle has expanded. Migrations of populations tend to impair the traditionally understood image of the urban and rural environments. Technological advances in the field of transport communications and IT have also reduced the distance between the two discussed environments. The aim of this study was to assess the level of pro-health behaviors of women who are interested in a healthy lifestyle, and who live both in the countryside and in large cities. The study involved 78 women from the towns with up to 3 thousand inhabitants and 130 from the cities with a population over 100 thousand inhabitants. All research participants were active participants in one of the largest health services for mature women in Poland. The research was part of the PARP project -Global health problems, implemented by the Foundation ‘Smak Żcia’. Standardized research tools Health Behavior Inventory were applied according to the adaptation of Z. Juczyńki. As many as 30% of patients achieved a low level of pro-health behaviors, 45% obtained an average score, and only 25%-a high one, which due to an interest in the subject of a healthy lifestyle, occurring as a constant activity on the online health portal, can be regarded as an unsatisfactory result. The research participants (female subscribers of advice from pro-health service) willing to share their experience, commented on a variety of content related to health issues, however, the level of their health behaviors did not differ significantly from the average values for the Polish population. There was no statistically significant difference in the level of realized health behaviors between women living in rural and metropolitan environments. Research confirmed that Internet theme services concerning issues of a healthy lifestyle, are a chance to equalize disparities in pro-health behaviors, and consequently - in health itself, thus initiatives of raising interest in health education through the mass media ought to be supported.