Evaluation of the quality of information related to diet and health conditions on Japanese Web pages

Purpose This study aims to evaluate health- and diet-related information quality on Japanese Web pages and its correlation with search rankings. Design/methodology/approach Google searches were performed in August 2022 using seven popular search terms combining diet and health conditions. The Quality Evaluation Scoring Tool (QUEST), comprising seven items (authorship, attribution, type of study, conflict of interest, currency, complementary and tone), with a score ranging 0–28, was used to assess information quality. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the median total QUEST score and the distribution of Web page quality. Spearman’s correlation coefficient was used to assess the correlation between the total QUEST score and search result ranking. Findings Of the 350 Web pages identified, 263 were selected for evaluation. The median total QUEST score was 12.5 (range 2.5–23.5), with 43% of Web pages classified as low quality (score = 11). Total QUEST scores varied by health condition, with “diabetes” related Web pages scoring highest and “cold” related ones scoring lowest. Only 23% of Web pages cited identifiable scientific studies. Search result ranking showed no significant correlation with the total QUEST score ( r = 0.06, P = 0.36). Originality/value This study suggested that Japanese Web pages require higher quality diet and health information, particularly regarding source attribution.