Online Age Quiz Is a Window for Drug Makers (posted by Why Syzygy in the Health forum)

[JeffR]

I thought this was important, so I'm taking the liberty of cross-posting it to GD.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/26/technology/internet/26privacy.html?_r=1

By STEPHANIE CLIFFORD
Published: March 25, 2009

Americans yearn to be young. So it is little wonder that RealAge, which promises to help shave years off your age, has become one of the most popular tests on the Internet.

According to RealAge, more than 27 million people have taken the test, which asks 150 or so questions about lifestyle and family history to assign a “biological age,” how young or old your habits make you. Then, RealAge makes recommendations on how to get “younger,” like taking multivitamins, eating breakfast and flossing your teeth. Nine million of those people have signed up to become RealAge members.

But while RealAge promotes better living through nonmedical solutions, the site makes its money by selling better living through drugs.

Pharmaceutical companies pay RealAge to compile test results of RealAge members and send them marketing messages by e-mail. The drug companies can even use RealAge answers to find people who show symptoms of a disease — and begin sending them messages about it even before the people have received a diagnosis from their doctors.

While few people would fill out a detailed questionnaire about their health and hand it over to a drug company looking for suggestions for new medications, that is essentially what RealAge is doing.

The test has received widespread publicity because of its affiliation with Dr. Mehmet Oz, a popular author and regular on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” Dr. Oz — “America’s Doctor,” as he is known on Oprah — is a RealAge spokesman and adviser, and his soothing, simple approach to health is reflected in RealAge’s message: you can change. (...)


RealAge’s privacy policy does not specifically address the firm’s relationship with drug companies, but does state, in part, “we will share your personal data with third parties to fulfill the services that you have asked us to provide to you,” and it adds test results to its database only when respondents become RealAge members. Some critics, however, charge that consumers do not have enough information when they join.

“Literally millions of people have unknowingly signed up,” said Peter Lurie, the deputy director of the Health Research Group at Public Citizen, a public interest group in Washington. The company, he said, “can create a group of people, and hit them up and create anxiety even though the person does not have a diagnosis.” (...)

[Blue_In_AK]

1. Is this the test that was linked at AC360 a few weeks ago?

I took it ... it said I was going to live to be 94, but if I change some of my bad habits, I might make it to 96. :rofl:

[JeffR]

2. Not sure, but when I read this last night, I thought it was important

or as Anderson would say, "Impordund."

You should split the difference here and just roll back some bad habits, maybe get an extra year and still get to have some fun.

[Blue_In_AK]

3. It may have been a different longevity test

because I haven't been getting more than the usual medical ads -- oh, wait! I was on my daughter's computer in California when I took that test. SHE must be getting the ads. Sorry, Blue_in_CA. :blush:

[JeffR]

4. Don't worry, she'll never know unless she reads DU

Oh, wait...

:)

[Critters2]

10. Impordund. That's Anderson.

Someone please teach that man to speak English.

[Why Syzygy]

5. k&r

Our email addresses are one of (their) most valuable assets!

[JeffR]

7. Thanks for posting this!

:patriot:

[Wednesdays]

6. K&R

:kick:

[drmeow]

8. This is an example of why

I have dummy e-mail addresses. I have a primary personal one, one for work/professional stuff, one for shopping, and one for political stuff (petitions, etc.). Makes it easier to delete the spam.

[havocmom]

9. Yep. And someone I work with is crossing the line, sending work stuff to home

Which really doesn't help my insomnia.