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Data Management and Visualization Week 1 Assignment: Getting Your Research Project Started

Step 1: I have chosen the gapminder dataset.

Step 2: I have decided to look at Internetuserate as my first topic of interest.

Step 4: I have also decided to look at the topic lifeexpectancy as my second topic of interest.

Steps 3&5: I have prepared the gapminder codebook section that references these topics as shown below.

Variables:

Internetuserate: 2010 Internet users. Internet users are people with access to the worldwide network

lifeexpectancy: 2011 life expectancy at birth (years) The average number of years a newborn child would live if current mortality patterns were to stay the same.

Step 6: I identified the following articles that discuss the topic of internet use and health information.  The following search terms were used: "life expectancy", health, "internet use", internet.

Broom, Alex. "Virtually he@ lthy: the impact of internet use on disease experience and the doctor-patient relationship." Qualitative health research 15.3 (2005): 325-345.

Key finding: "accessing information and/or support online can have a profound effect on men's experiences of prostate cancer"

Baker, Laurence, et al. "Use of the Internet and e-mail for health care information: results from a national survey." Jama 289.18 (2003): 2400-2406.

Key finding: 40% of respondents used the internet to look up health information.

Crocco, Anthony G., Miguel Villasis-Keever, and Alejandro R. Jadad. "Analysis of cases of harm associated with use of health information on the internet." Jama 287.21 (2002): 2869-2871.

Key finding: "Despite the popularity of publications warning of the potential harm associated with using health information from the Internet, our search found few reported cases of harm."

Step 7: My research question: Is there a significant different in life expectancy between internet users and non-internet users.  My hypothesis is that increased availability of health information on the internet would result in an increased life expectancy.