Abstract
Introduction
De Ruyver, Evans, Melzer, and Wilmer (2000) developed a rating system to evaluate public history websites. Criteria from the basic scoring system are used here to evaluate post-bariatric surgery exercise websites. The basic criteria (total points 100/100 scale) are divided into six subsets with each subset accounting for 15 points. The subsets include scope and content, authority and bias, timeliness and permanence, value-added features, technical aspects, aesthetics, visual clarity and appeal, and overall impression. Table 1 summarizes the criteria of the scoring tool. 1
Post-Bariatric Surgery Websites
Websites were located via an Internet search using the Google© search engine with the following terms: post, bariatric, surgery, exercise, program. The search yielded 2,400,000 sites. To demonstrate the use of the Internet site evaluation tool, only the first five post-bariatric surgery exercise websites were reviewed. See Table 2 for a summary of the evaluation.
Bariatric Choice
www.bariatricchoice.com/exercise-for-bariatric-gastric-bypass-surgery-patients.aspx
This website aims to sell dietary food products and supplements to pre- and post-bariatric surgery patients. There is a drop-down box on post-bariatric exercise programs. It is easy to read and to navigate with simple advice that is easy for a patient to read and to implement. The site lost points for the quantity of exercise options, the sponsorship, the brevity of the summaries, and for a lack of relevant links referring the reading to additional opportunities for further exploration. In addition, the website lost points due to a failure to state when, or if, the hosts had performed an update of the site, lack of visual cohesiveness, and a somewhat old-fashioned web appearance.
Weight Loss Surgery Program
The Weight Loss Surgery Program website serves to advertise a surgical weight management center. The site has an impressive design with links to a BMI calculator, an exercise program page, as well as a link to a comprehensive education program for prospective patients. The link to exercise after bariatric surgery is not an educational site, and it does not provide any more than an opportunity to schedule an appointment with an exercise physiologist.
Ask the Expert Blog
www.acefitness.org/blog/896/?DCMP=RSSask-the-expert
The “Ask the Expert Blog” site is the third site listed in the Google search. It is a blog reply to a question from the American Council on Exercise (ACE). The post is a concise paragraph describing the benefit of exercise after surgery, which was written by an exercise physiologist. The author's credentials are listed. There is a link to a full overview article that was published in the ACE Certified Newsletter and was written by an exercise specialist. This article describes the benefits of various types of exercise, such as endurance and weight training, as well as the benefits of exercise at different postoperative intervals (e.g., 1 month, 3–6 months, etc.). Useful tables with suggestions for progression are also included.
Exercise Before and After Weight Loss Surgery
www.everydayhealth.com/weight-loss-surgery/weight-loss-surgery-exercise.aspx
This website education page was found on the “Everyday Health” website. The site is complete. Its target audience is broad and not necessarily marketing to bariatric patients or providers. The sponsoring website is well designed with contributors' expertise published, and updates to the website are performed regularly. The links are easy to navigate and all links connect appropriately. The actual material related to exercise after bariatric surgery was somewhat limited, however.
Martin Memorial Health Systems
The “Martin Memorial Health Systems” website seeks to advertise its post-bariatric medical exercise programs. Using the website evaluation tool, it does what it states it will do, but it does not serve to educate patients or professionals. The sponsoring agency is respected, and the mission statement of the program is stated. The links to other hospital programs are listed, and they all connect appropriately. There is consistent visual cohesiveness within the site. Overall, however, the reader would not learn anything about exercise after bariatric surgery.
Conclusion
Utilizing a grading scale to evaluate Internet websites is a useful tool when attempting to compare or contrast the utility, information, and worthiness of Internet sites currently available for ourselves and patients. The grading scale presented here is quick and easy to use. Although there are other scoring methodologies available, taking the time to do a cursory evaluation of the site, the authors, the information that is presented, the links, and the overall aesthetics of the site benefits the reader and assures a thorough evaluation of the site.
Footnotes
Disclosure Statement
No competing financial interests exist.