Americans search for health online

More Americans surfing the internet look for medical information than for sport scores, stock quotes or online shopping bargains, says a group studying how the internet affects people's lives.

An estimated 52 million Americans have used the internet to gain knowledge about diseases and treatment, investigate how to participate in clinical trials and find low-fat recipes, the group said.

Lee Rainie, director of The Pew Internet and American Life Project, said: "In an era when the face time a patient gets with a doctor during an average appointment has dipped below 15 minutes, many are turning to the web to get the information they crave."