From depression to weight loss, insomnia to cutting back on alcohol or cigarettes, the Internet teems with sites that promise to help people improve their health.
Which of these really help – with evidence from gold-standard studies to back up these claims? A new paper compiles only the best of the best: a list of over 40 sites backed by evidence from randomized controlled trials.
Compiled by a team at the University of Michigan Medical School, it includes sites that offer people help with reducing their use of alcohol, tobacco and marijuana; managing mental health issues; improving diet and physical activity; and addressing insomnia, chronic pain, cardiovascular risk and childhood health issues.
Published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, the list includes sites that offer more than educational information that…