Accuracy of Health and Wellness Messages provided by ChaCha, The Mobile Answers Text Message Service

A relatively new mobile text message service, ChaCha, describes itself as a smart search engine powered by human intelligence. The service claims to provide high-quality, accurate information, yet there is no research published to date substantiating this claim. The purpose of this study was to asse...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inGlobal journal of health education and promotion Vol. 13; no. 1
Main Authors Kadi Bliss, Lodyga, Marc, Bochantin, Shelley, Null, Dawn
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Wilmington Foundation for the Advancement of Health Education 01.01.2010
Subjects
Academic Achievement
Accuracy
College Students
Directories
Educational Practices
Electronic Equipment
Electronic Journals
Guidelines
Health education
Instructional Materials
Intelligence
Internet
Literature Reviews
Patient Education
Patients
Periodicals
Reference Materials
Search engines
Text messaging
Wellness
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Summary:A relatively new mobile text message service, ChaCha, describes itself as a smart search engine powered by human intelligence. The service claims to provide high-quality, accurate information, yet there is no research published to date substantiating this claim. The purpose of this study was to assess the extent to which health and wellness-related information disseminated by ChaCha is accurate and complete. The study consisted of texting 40 pre-determined health-related questions to ChaCha, compiling answers, and analyzing answers for accuracy and completeness. Using a Likert-type rubric, accuracy was determined by comparing ChaCha responses to three of the most well-known and popular college health textbooks. Results indicated only 12.5% of ChaCha responses were rated accurate and complete, while 22.5 % of ChaChas responses rated completely inaccurate/incomplete. In summary, while ChaCha provides a fast, efficient method to find answers, the accuracy and completeness of the answers is questionable and not consistent with evidence-based research. Translation to Health Education Practice: Health educators can use the results of this study to alert the public that ChaCha is not a reliable source for health and wellness-related information.
ISSN:2332-1016
2332-1024